Apparatus and method for automated collimator exchange

摘要

An automatic collimator exchanger for a gamma camera system for simultaneous exchange of pairs of collimators (or a single collimator) for a dual detector head system. The present invention includes an exchange assembly having an elevator, a carriage and a bridge. The elevator includes a rack of multiple parallel and stacked trays for holding various pairs of collimators. A draw bridge unit is attached to one side of the elevator (which side faces a gantry structure) and may extend into the gantry structure. The carriage is able to support two collimators and moves from within the elevator unit onto the bridge and into the gantry structure, when the bridge is lowered, to position between two aligned detector heads of the dual head gamma camera system. When the detector heads are positioned near the aligned carriage, latch pins are released and collimators may be transferred to the carriage, if empty, or hastened to the detector heads from the carriage when installing a pair of collimators. Sliding lock plates (each having hooks and a safety latch pin) are mounted on both sides of each of the detector heads and are used to transfer the collimators between the carriage and the detector heads during the exchange (for removal and installation) and are used to secure the collimators to the detector heads during an imaging session. One collimator or a pair may be simultaneously exchanged using the present invention without operator intervention.