1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns an x-ray computed tomography apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
X-ray computed tomography apparatuses are generally known that have at least one x-ray source and one detector mounted on a rotatable part or rotor of a gantry. Such a rotor with the components mounted thereon weighs up to 1.4 t. It is rotated with rotation speeds up to 180 revolutions/minute. Significant centrifugal forces thereby arise. As a result, a deformation of the rotor can occur upon rotation. This is in turn detrimental to the precise alignment of the x-ray beam emitted by the x-ray source onto the oppositely-situated detector, and thus is also detrimental to the quality of the generated x-ray images.
In order to counteract this disadvantage, according to the prior art the geometry of the rotor has been optimized such that the centers of gravity of nearly all components mounted on the rotor lie in a center of gravity plane. Ribs that are connected with a circumferential (peripheral) outer wall of the rotor are also provided on the rotor base to increase the rigidity of the rotor. Computational simulations have shown, however, that unwanted deformations occur again given an increase of the rotation speeds.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds