US2331586A - X-ray shield - Google Patents

Description

structed, only reduced portions thereof will strike the patient.

Control of the rays is accomplished by means of shutters I5 formed of lead plates pivotally mounted by hinges It for vertical swinging movement in order to effect adjusted positions. Various mechanisms may be employed for swinging the shutters to adjusted positions and supporting them when so adjusted but, in the form illustrated, the adjusting means consists of lines "secured to free ends of the shutters out of the path of the rays and extending upwardly and about pulleys l8 carried by an overhead support. These pulleys have been shown mounted at the front of a headboard l9 which projects forwardly from the support 12 and is secured upon upper ends of supporting members 20 carried by the support I2, but it is t'o'b-e understood that any desired overhead support may be provided for the pulleys. Brackets 2| are mounted on the headboard and carry shafts 22 and 23 upon which are mounted drums 2 1 and 25. Bearings for the shafts could be mounted upon the support l2, if desired. The lines I? are wound upon the drums, and it will be readily understood that when the drums are turned to wind one line upon its drum and unwind the other line, the shutters will be moved toward open position or toward closed position, according to the direction in which the drums are turned. The drums may be independently operated if desired, and; also, the lines may be hand operated and secured to cleats or the like, instead of being wound upon drums. I

When the shutters are in the position shown by full lines in Fig. 2, the cone of rays will be unobstructed, as indicated by the arrows C, and a large portion of the patients, body will be flooded by the Roentgen rays. When the shutters are in the dot and dash line position shown at lia, the rays are blocked to form a cone of the dimensions indicated by the arrows B, and a smaller area of the patients body will be flooded, and when the shutters are in the dotted line position shown at.l5b, the cone will be further restricted, as indicated bythe arrows A, and a still smaller portion of the patients body will be exposed to the rays. these merely indicate three positions in which the shutters may be supported and that they may be supported at any angle between fully open position and fully closed position, in which latter,

position they completely block forward flow of the cone of Roentgen rays. Any suitable means may be provided for releasably holding the drums stationary after the shutters have been moved to the desired adjusted positions.

In Figs. 4 through 7, there has been illustrated a modified construction wherein the lead shutters 26 are mounted for swinging movement in a horizontal plane by hinges 21. These hinges are secured to the lead block 9 and outer side edge portions of the shutters and are thus mounted for swinging movement, from the closed position shown in Fig. 6, toward the fully open position shown in Fig. '7, or the partially open positions such as indicated at 26a and 26b by dot and dash lines in Fig. 7. There have been shown lines 28 secured to pins 29 at upper ends of the shutters for moving the shutters to adjusted position but it is to be understood that other means may be provided for adjusting the shutters.

In Figs. 8 through 11, there has been illustrated another modified form of shield. In this embodiment. there has been shown a frame having up- It will be understood that right tracks 30 and transversely extending horizontal tracks 3| which are secured against front faces of the tracks 30 in cross relation thereto. The tracks are preferably of channel metal but other suitable material may be used. Lower ends of the tracks 30 carry supporting feet 32 and their upper ends are secured to brackets 33 at the front end of the headboard 34 which extends horizontally and is supported at its rear upon one or more uprights 35. Lead shutters 35 and 31 are slidably mounted in the tracks 30 and 3| and, in order that the shutters 36 may be shifted vertically to adjusted positions, there have been pro vided lines 38 trained about pulleys 39 carried by brackets 40 mounted at the front end of the headboard 34. These lines have their lower ends connected with the shutters and their rear end portions may be wound upon drums or connected with other suitable mechanism for actuating the lines and raising or lowering the shutters when opening or closing thereof is desired. The horizontal shutters 31 have handholds 38 for manual opening and closing thereof, and similar handholds 60 are carried by the shutters 36 so that they may be manually opened and closed, one of the lines 38 being secured to the handhold of the lower shutter 36. By the provision of vertical as well as horizontal shutters, a greater degree of size control of the cone of Roentgen rays is permitted as the shutters 36 move vertically and the shutters 31 move horizontally across the vertical shutters and the size of the opening through which the Roentgen rays may pass can be adjusted for both height and width.

The shutters of the device shown in Figs. 1 through '7 of the drawings, are located close to the tube, preferably within six inches of the tube, but the device shown in Figs. 8 through 11, may be located any distance desired between the tube and the film to be exposed.

Instead of having the patient stand while being photographed or treated, it is often desirable to have the patient lie prone. Therefore, the tracks 3!! or side bars of the frame are provided with legs 4| projecting from their rear surfaces in spaced relation to their ends. In order that the shield may be used in a horizontal position, it is merely necessary to detach upper ends of these tracks from the brackets 33 and detach the lines 38 from shutters 36, and the hield may then be supported horizontally with the feet 4! resting upon a floor or platform, as shown in Fig. 11. If desired, the shutters may be formed as shown in Fig. 12, and, referring to this figure, it will be seen that the shutter 42 is formed with a centrally located opening 43.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. An X-ray shield comprising a base for supporting an X-ray machine, a top spaced upwardly from said base in a substantially horizontal plane, a shield formed of material impervious to Roentgen rays, said shield being disposed in a vertical plane between forward portions of the base and top and formed with an opening for passage of a cone of Roentgen rays forwardly through the shield toward a subject, upper and lower mounting members carried by the top and base and engaging upper and lower portions of said shield to support the shield in vertical position, hinges carried by said mounting members in front of said shield, shutters carried by said hinges and thereby mounted for vertical swinging movement toward and away from said shield into and out of position across the opening in closing relation thereto, said shutters when closed having their free edges meeting intermediate upper and lower edges of the opening, and means for independently efiecting opening and closing movement of the shutters and maintaining the shutters in adjusted positions.

2. An X-ray shield comprising a base for supshield for swinging toward and away from said shield into and out, of closing relation to the opening and when closed having their'free ends meeting across the center of the opening, and means for independently swinging said shutters away from said shield to open position and supporting the shutters when opened.

3. An X-ray shield comprising a base for supporting an X-ray machine, a top. spaced upwar'dly from said base in a substantially horizontal plane, a shield formed of material imprevious to Roentgen rays, said shield being'disposed in a vertical plane between forward portions of the base and the top and formed with an opening for passage of a cone of Roentgen rays forwardly through the shield toward a subject, upper and lower mounting members carried by the top and base and engaging upper and lower portions of said shield to support the shield in vertical position, shutter infront of said shield disposed above and below the opening and hinged to said mounting members for swinging vertically toward and away from said shield into and out of closing relation to' the opening and when closed having their free ends meeting midway the depth of the opening, a mounting over said top pro- J'ecting forwardly therefrom, guides at the front of said mounting, drums rotatably mounted over said mounting, and cables wound upon said drums and extending forwardly and engaged with said guides and downwardly therefrom and secured to free endsof said shuttersto support the shutters v in adjusted positions.

GEORGE G. WASISCO.

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