The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 06, 2018
Filed:
Nov. 02, 2016
General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US);
Grant Richard Wagner, Milwaukee, WI (US);
Curt Allen Zimmerman, Neosho, WI (US);
Matthew Jason Evangelist, Lake Mills, WI (US);
GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, Schenectady, NY (US);
Abstract
An X-ray imaging system includes a gantry, rotatable about an axis of rotation, a radiation source mounted on the gantry and configured to emit radiation, and one or more detectors configured to detect the emitted radiation. The gantry includes a gear assembly coupled to a motor to enable rotation of the gantry, wherein the gear assembly comprises a gantry gear. The gantry includes an encoder for detecting position of the gantry, wherein the encoder comprises an encoder gear meshed with the gantry gear. The gantry also includes a gear re-engagement assembly configured to couple to the encoder and to force the encoder gear into correct engagement with the gantry gear when the encoder gear becomes disengaged from the gantry gear. As such, the gear re-engagement assembly keeps engagement of the encoder gear and the gantry gear to maintain the important gantry position tracking.