General Electric Company

Ge Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC

United Technologies Corporation

Thomas R Murray

Paul C Schanen

Brian D Johnston

Jonathan Alan Murray

August O Englert

Carmine F Vara

Thaddeus Raymond Ulijasz

Paitoon Nimityongskul

Randolph N Wendt

Hani Ikram Noshi

Darrell J Miller

Timithoy F Hamers

Philip M Wiggin

Gene A Gruber

Richard C Boettner

A transmission source loading apparatus for an imaging system utilizing a transmission source is disclosed. The source loading apparatus comprises a storage container for storing the transmission source, and a translation device. The translation device is adapted for advancing the transmission source from the storage container into a holder device for use of the imaging system. A gantry for an imaging system utilizing a transmission source is also disclosed. The gantry includes a gantry housing, a detector ring, a holder device for rotating the transmission source in a rotation path associated with the detector ring, and a transmission source loading apparatus.

Source loading apparatus for imaging systems

Balancing of rotational components of CT imaging equipment

An apparatus for securing and leveling equipment includes an anchor bolt installed through a center of an aligning device. Vertical and lateral adjustments of the equipment are facilitated. The aligning device includes a hollow adjuster that is threaded within the equipment to raise or lower the equipment. The anchor bolt has clearance for lateral motion within the aligning device and the adjuster is able to tilt at a spherical joint connection with a leveling pad. The location of the anchor assembly in the center of the aligning device facilitates leveling and alignment of the anchored equipment without causing distortion of the equipment and without the use of spacers.

Leveling and securing apparatus

A cable for a computed tomography system is described. In one embodiment, the cable electrically connects a detector module to a data acquisition system. The cable includes a conductor layer, an insulating layer and a shield layer having a thermal barrier. The thermal barrier reduces the amount of heat which is transferred from the data acquisition system to the detector module.

Cable for computed tomography system

An elastomeric connector apparatus for a computed tomography system is described. In one embodiment, the elastomeric connector apparatus electrically connects a detector module flexible cable to a data acquisition backplane. Flexible cable and backplane connector pads are electrically connected with an elastomeric connector. The elastomeric connector apparatus allows the low level analog outputs from the detector module photodiodes to be transmitted to the backplane without a large pin connector array.

Elastomeric connection for computed tomography system

A scalable data acquisition system (SDAS) that may be used in connection with both single slice and multislice imaging systems is described. Generally, the SDAS in configured for use in a computed tomography system and converts the low level electrical current signal from the x-ray detector to digital values for image reconstruction, display and archive. The SDAS also includes an anti-alias filter for each cell prior to analog to digital conversion (ADC). More specifically, the analog current signals from the detector are supplied to the SDAS input channels via shielded ribbon or flex cables. The cables are connected to the SDAS at the SDAS backplane. The SDAS Converter boards are also plugged into the SDAS backplane. This interconnection provides several advantages. For example, the backplane enables ganging the detector cells on the outside edges of the fan beam. The backplane also allows a redistribution of the detector cells to appropriate converter boards. Signals from more than one slice are contained in the same flex cable, and each converter board only serves one slice since the reconfiguration of SDAS from one multi-slice configuration to another or to the single slice configuration requires only the removal or addition of converter boards. Also, the backplane enables a blending or weaving of SDAS channels and detector cells near the end channels of a converter board. Artifacts such as a band in the image are usually the result of common or uniform error source across one group of adjacent channels versus a neighboring group of channels. If all the channels on one converter board have a common error difference compared to a neighboring converter board, this type of image artifact is quite likely. By interweaving detector cell assignments versus converter card on the edges of the converter card, the susceptibility to a band artifact is reduced.

Scalable data acquisition system

The multi-lug attachment of the blades to the disk of a turbine rotor of a gas turbine engine, where the blades are air-cooled, optimizes weight reduction and tensile stress by attachment including a pair of lugs that transitions from a contoured airfoil to a pair of parallel rails releasably attached to complementary recesses formed in the disk. One lug is transitioned from the pressure surface to the attachment surface and the other lug is transitioned from the suction surface to the attachment surface. The lugs are tapered to optimize the attachment.

Turbine blade attachment means

Growing community of inventors

Delafield, WI, United States of America

Thomas R Murray