阅读说明：本技术 用于使用单个驱动器提供双轴运动的方法和系统 (Method and system for providing dual axis motion using a single drive ) 是由 伦加拉詹·K. 拉金德尔·辛格 于 2020-10-19 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明题为“用于使用单个驱动器提供双轴运动的方法和系统”。一种系统包括驱动系统,该驱动系统包括：单个马达、被配置成经由第一离合器将动力从单个马达传输到第一滚珠螺杆的传动装置、以及被配置成将动力从第一滚珠螺杆传输到第二滚珠螺杆的第二离合器。该系统还包括制动器,该制动器被配置成将制动力施加到驱动系统的至少一部分。系统还包括控制模块,控制模块被配置成控制单个马达、第一离合器、第二离合器和制动器中的一者或多者的操作,其中,控制模块被配置成在第一构型中在水平方向上移动剪刀臂,并且在第二构型中调节剪刀臂的竖直高度。(The invention provides a method and system for providing dual axis motion using a single drive. A system includes a drive system, the drive system comprising: the system includes a single motor, a transmission configured to transmit power from the single motor to a first ball screw via a first clutch, and a second clutch configured to transmit power from the first ball screw to a second ball screw. The system also includes a brake configured to apply a braking force to at least a portion of the drive system. The system also includes a control module configured to control operation of one or more of the single motor, the first clutch, the second clutch, and the brake, wherein the control module is configured to move the scissor arm in a horizontal direction in the first configuration and adjust a vertical height of the scissor arm in the second configuration.)

1. A system, comprising:

a drive system, the drive system comprising:

a single motor (122);

a transmission (126/132) configured to transmit power from the single motor to the first ball screw (134) via a first clutch (128); and

a second clutch (130) configured to transmit power from the first ball screw (134) to a second ball screw (136);

a brake (138) configured to apply a braking force to at least a portion of the drive system; and

a control module (120) configured to control operation of one or more of the single motor (122), the first clutch (128), the second clutch (130), and the brake (138), wherein the control module (120) is configured to move a scissor arm (108) in a horizontal direction in a first configuration and adjust a vertical height of the scissor arm (108) in a second configuration.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first clutch (128) is a normally open clutch and the second clutch (130) is a normally closed clutch.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the drive system is the second ball screw (136).

4. The system of claim 1, wherein, in the first configuration:

the first clutch (128) is configured to engage the transmission to the first ball screw (134),

the second clutch (130) is configured to engage the first ball screw (134) to the second ball screw (136), and

the brake (138) is configured to not apply a braking force to the at least a portion of the transmission.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein, in the second configuration:

the first clutch (128) is configured to engage the transmission to the first ball screw (134),

the second clutch (130) is configured to disengage the first ball screw (134) from the second ball screw (136), and

the brake (138) is configured to apply a braking force to the at least a portion of the transmission.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the brake (138) is an electromagnetic brake.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the scissor arm (108) includes first and second top ends and first and second bottom ends.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the first bottom end is rotatably coupled to a first linear bearing (103C) and the second bottom end is rotatably coupled to a second linear bearing (103D).

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the first linear bearing (103C) and the second linear bearing (103D) are coupled to a linear rail (106B).

10. The system of claim 1, comprising a sensor (124) configured to provide feedback information about a position of a portion of the scissor arm (108).

11. A method for adjusting a position of a device (102) along two axes, comprising:

configuring (706), by a control module, the drive system to a first configuration;

in the first configuration of the drive system, powered by a single motor (122) to move a load on the device (102) along a horizontal axis;

configuring (702), by the control module, the drive system into a second configuration; and

in the second configuration of the drive system, power is provided by the single motor (122) to move the load on the device (102) along a vertical axis.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first configuration comprises:

configuring the drive system to cause a first ball screw (134) to receive power from the single motor (122);

configuring the drive system to cause a second ball screw (136) to receive power from the first ball screw (134); and

a brake (138) is controlled not to apply a braking force to the second ball screw (136).

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the second configuration comprises:

configuring the drive system to cause a first ball screw (134) to receive power from the single motor (122);

configuring the drive system such that the second ball screw (136) does not receive power from the first ball screw (134); and

a brake (138) is controlled to apply a braking force to the second ball screw (136).

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the brake (138) is an electromagnetic brake.

15. The method of claim 11, comprising using position feedback of the device (102) to control movement of the load on the device (102) along the horizontal axis.

Technical Field

Certain embodiments relate to moving an object in two dimensions. More particularly, certain embodiments relate to methods and systems for providing dual axis motion using a single drive.

Background

Medical imagers are sometimes used to image at least a portion of a patient's body as part of a diagnostic procedure. The imager may be, for example, a Computed Axial Tomography (CAT) scanner, a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner, a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner, a single photon emission tomography, etc., as well as hybrid imagers of the above-described technologies. The patient may be placed on a bed on a table (gantry) and the table may be moved into position so that the imager can make the appropriate images of the patient. The table may also be raised to a suitable height to allow the imager to begin imaging the patient and lowered after the imager has completed imaging the patient.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present disclosure as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

Disclosure of Invention

A system and/or method for providing dual axis motion using a single drive, substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.

These and other advantages, aspects, and novel features of the present disclosure, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, will be more fully understood from the following description and drawings.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an illustration of an exemplary dual-axis movement system for moving a patient bed, in accordance with various embodiments.

Fig. 2 is an illustration of the exemplary system of fig. 1 for moving a patient bed in a vertical direction, in accordance with various embodiments.

Fig. 3 is an illustration of the exemplary system of fig. 1 for moving a patient bed in a horizontal direction, in accordance with various embodiments.

Fig. 4 is an illustration of the exemplary system of fig. 1 for moving a patient bed in a standby mode, in accordance with various embodiments.

Fig. 5A is an illustration of the example system of fig. 1 for maintaining a patient bed in a locked position, in accordance with various embodiments.

Fig. 5B is an illustration of the exemplary system of fig. 1 of another method for maintaining a patient bed in a locked position, in accordance with various embodiments.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram of an imaging system including a system for moving a patient bed, according to various embodiments.

Fig. 7 is a flow diagram of capturing images of a patient using the exemplary system of fig. 1, according to various embodiments.

Detailed Description

Certain embodiments may be found in methods and systems for facilitating movement of a patient bed in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction using a single drive.

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of certain embodiments, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. To the extent that the figures illustrate diagrams of the functional blocks of various embodiments, the functional blocks are not necessarily indicative of the division between mechanical parts and/or hardware circuitry. The electrical and/or mechanical part (such as a drive providing power for moving the patient bed horizontally and/or vertically) may be, for example, an electric motor driven mechanism, a fluid pump driven mechanism, or the like. The fluid pump may use hydraulic fluid or gas.

In addition, one or more of the functional blocks (e.g., processors or memories) may be implemented in a single piece of hardware (e.g., a general purpose signal processor or a block of random access memory, hard disk, or the like) or multiple pieces of hardware. Similarly, the programs may be stand alone programs, may be incorporated as subroutines in an operating system, may be functions in an installed software package, and the like.

It should be understood that the various embodiments are not limited to the arrangements and instrumentality shown in the drawings. It is to be further understood that the embodiments may be combined, or that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural, logical, and electrical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the various embodiments. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

As used herein, an element or step recited in the singular and proceeded with the word "a" or "an" should be understood as not excluding plural said elements or steps, unless such exclusion is explicitly recited. Furthermore, references to "exemplary embodiments," "various embodiments," "certain embodiments," "representative embodiments," etc., are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. Furthermore, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, embodiments "comprising," "including," or "having" an element or a plurality of elements having a particular property may include additional elements not having that property.

Also as used herein, the term "imager" broadly refers to CAT scanners, MRI scanners, and any other medical imager capable of scanning at least a portion of a patient.

Further, as used herein, the term processor or processing unit refers to any type of processing unit that can perform the required computations required by the various embodiments, such as single core or multi-core: a CPU, an Accelerated Processing Unit (APU), a graphics board, a DSP, an FPGA, an ASIC, or a combination thereof.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a patient bed positioning system operable to move a patient bed using a dual axis movement system, in accordance with various embodiments. Referring to fig. 1, a patient bed positioning system 100 is shown that includes a patient bed (or platform) 102, a table base 104, a control module 120, linear rails 106a and 106b, and a scissor arm 108. The patient bed positioning system 100 may also include a motor 122, a worm gear 126, a normally open clutch 128, a normally closed clutch 130, a drive shaft 132, a ball screw 134, a ball screw 136, and a normally open brake 138.

Scissor arm 108 may have a first upper end rotatably coupled to bed 102 at a rotatable coupling with linear bearing 103a on linear track 106a, and a second upper end rotatably coupled to fixed coupling point 103b of bed 102. Scissor arm 108 may also have a first lower end rotatably coupled to linear track 106b at a rotatable coupling with linear bearing 103c and a second lower end rotatably coupled to linear track 106b at a rotatable coupling with linear bearing 103 d. The rotatable couplings with linear bearings 103c and 103d have respective ball nuts 103e and 103 f. When scissor arm 108 is cut in or out, the rotatable coupling with linear bearings 103a, 103c, and/or 103d may slide along respective linear rails 106a and 106 b. Thus, the patient bed 102 may be moved horizontally or vertically. This is explained in more detail with respect to fig. 2 and 3.

While embodiments of the present disclosure describe scissor arm 108 as being coupled to a rotatable coupling having linear bearings 103a, 103c, and 103d, various embodiments of the present disclosure may use one or more other rotatable couplings that allow for linear motion.

Power for moving the patient bed 102 is provided by the motor 122 and power is transmitted to the ball screws 134 and 136 via the worm gear 126 and drive shaft 132. For purposes of this disclosure, worm gear 126 and drive shaft 132 may be referred to as a transmission.

Normally open clutch 128 is used to transmit power to ball screw 134, and normally closed clutch 130 is used to transmit power to ball screw 136. The normally open clutch 128 in its normal state does not transmit power from the drive shaft 132 to the ball screw 134. It needs to be activated to close (engage) so that it can transmit power from the drive shaft 132 to the ball screw 134. The normally closed clutch 130 in its normal state is configured to transmit power from the ball screw 134 to the ball screw 136. It needs to be deactivated to open (disengage) so that it does not transmit power from the ball screw 134 to the ball screw 136.

It should be noted that embodiments of the present invention have power transmitted from the motor 122 to the worm gear 126 to the normally open clutch 128, with the normally open clutch 128 being activated to transmit power to the ball screw 134 to the normally closed clutch 130 to the ball screw 136.

When the normally open clutch 128 is closed, the ball screw 134 will rotate in accordance with the rotation of the motor 122. This will therefore force the rotatable coupling with the linear bearing 103c to move horizontally on the linear track 106 b.

When the normally closed clutch 130 is closed, the ball screw 136 will rotate in the direction of rotation of the ball screw 134. This will force the rotatable coupling with linear bearing 103d to move horizontally on linear track 106 b.

The normally open brake 138 in the normal position does not apply a braking force on the ball screw 136 to prevent rotation thereof. Accordingly, the normally open brake 138 needs to be activated to a closed position to apply a braking force to hold the ball screw 136 in a fixed position to provide stability to the patient bed positioning system 100 as needed. The brake 138 may be, for example, an electromagnetic brake or a mechanical brake used at the time of the present disclosure, as well as any other type of brake that will be disclosed in the future.

The control module 120 may be configured to control the motor 122 to rotate the ball screws 134 and 136. The control module 120 may use position feedback from, for example, the sensor 124. The sensor 124 may be, for example, a position encoder 124, wherein a wire 125a may be coupled to an anchor 125. In some implementations, the position encoder 124 can be, for example, an absolute encoder. By determining the length of wire that has been paid out or wound, the position encoder 124 can provide information to the control module 120 regarding the position of the rotatable coupling with the linear bearing 103 c. Feedback may also be provided by other sensors that allow for measuring distance, for example.

The control module 120 may also be configured to control the normally open clutch 128, the normally closed clutch 130, and the normally open brake 138 via commands sent on the wire line 121.

In various embodiments of the present disclosure, communication from the control module 120 to any of the motor 122, the position encoder 124, the clutch 128, the clutch 130, and the brake 138 may also be performed wirelessly using any of a variety of wireless technologies, such as, for example, bluetooth communication, WiFi, ZigBee, proprietary protocols, and the like. The control module 120 may include one or more processors, memory, and code executable by the one or more processors to perform various functions. The control module 120 may also include hardware circuitry, such as glue logic, state machines, logic circuitry, and the like.

Since the various devices described for the patient bed positioning system 100 are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, these devices will not be described in further detail. This, however, does not preclude the use of devices that will be developed in the future that may be used to perform similar functions as described in the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is an illustration of the exemplary system of fig. 1 for moving a patient bed in a vertical direction, in accordance with various embodiments. Referring to fig. 2, the patient bed positioning system 100 of fig. 1 is shown configured to move the bed 102 in a vertical direction. The control module 120 may control the normally open brake 138 to close to provide a braking force to the ball screw 136 to prevent rotation thereof. The control module 120 may control the normally-closed clutch 128 to open such that the ball screw 136 does not receive any power generated by the motor 122. The control module 120 may control the normally open clutch 128 to close to allow power to be transmitted from the motor 122 to the ball screw 134.

Thus, the upper right end of scissor arm 108 cannot move because it is fixedly coupled to fixed link point 103b, and the lower right end of scissor arm 108 cannot move because ball screw 136 has a braking force applied to it by normally open brake 138. Thus, as ball screw 134 rotates, the lower left end of scissor arm 108 is forced to move horizontally. Because the upper right and lower left ends of scissor arm 108 cannot move, scissor arm 108 moves to raise or lower patient bed 102.

Fig. 3 is an illustration of the exemplary system of fig. 1 for moving a patient bed in a horizontal direction, in accordance with various embodiments. Referring to fig. 3, the patient bed positioning system 100 of fig. 1 is shown configured to move the bed 102 in a horizontal direction. The control module 120 may control the normally open brake 138 to open to allow rotation of the ball screw 136. The control module 120 may control the normally-closed clutch 130 to remain closed such that the ball screw 136 rotates with the ball screw 134. The control module 120 may control the normally open clutch 128 to close to allow power to be transmitted from the motor 122 to the ball screw 134.

Thus, as the lower right end of scissor arm 108 moves with the lower left end of scissor arm 108, scissor arm 108 retains the shape in which it is (scissors cannot be opened further or closed further). Instead, scissor arm 108 is forced to move horizontally on linear guide 106b as a whole. Thus, patient bed 102 will also move horizontally with scissor arm 108.

Fig. 4 is an illustration of the exemplary system of fig. 1 for placing a patient bed in a standby mode, in accordance with various embodiments. Referring to fig. 4, the patient bed positioning system 100 of fig. 1 is in a standby or default configuration. This may be, for example, when the patient bed positioning system 100 is powered down. Thus, the normally open clutch 128 is in an open position isolating the ball screw 134 from the motor 122. Normally closed clutch 130 is in the closed position to allow ball screw 136 to rotate with ball screw 134. If there is a force to rotate the ball screw 136, the normally open brake 138 is in the open position to allow the ball screw 136 to rotate.

Accordingly, the ball screws 134 and 136 may rotate without strong resistance because the ball screw 134 is not coupled to the motor 122 and the ball screw 136 has no braking force applied thereto. Thus, if the patient is on the couch 102 and the couch 102 is positioned in the imager when powered off, the operator may pull the couch 102 out of the imager.

Fig. 5A is an illustration of the example system of fig. 1 for maintaining a patient bed in a locked position, in accordance with various embodiments. The patient bed positioning system 100 may also be configured to prevent it from moving due to external disturbances. In this case, the clutches 128 and 130 may be set to a closed position to couple the motor 122 to the ball screws 134 and 136, and the brake 138 may be configured to apply a braking force to the ball screw 136.

Fig. 5B is an illustration of the exemplary system of fig. 1 of another method for maintaining a patient bed in a locked position, in accordance with various embodiments. The patient bed positioning system 100 may also be configured in another manner to prevent it from moving due to external disturbances. In this case, the normally-open clutch 128 remains open, and the normally-closed clutch 130 remains closed to couple the ball screws 134 and 136, and the brake 138 may be configured to apply a braking force to the ball screw 136.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram of an imaging system including a system for moving a patient bed, according to various embodiments. Referring to fig. 6, an imaging system 600 is shown that includes a patient bed positioning system 610, which may be similar to the patient bed positioning system 100, imaging hardware 620, a processor module 630, a user input device 640, a display system 650, and an archive/memory 660.

As described above with respect to the patient bed positioning system 100, the patient bed positioning system 610 may be moved in a vertical and/or horizontal direction to move the patient bed to the imaging hardware 620 so that the imaging hardware 620 may take images of the patient. The imaging hardware 620 may be, for example, a CAT scanner, MRI scanner, PET scanner, or the like, where the couch on which the patient is positioned may need to be moved to a position that facilitates image scanning.

Movement of the patient bed positioning system 610 may be controlled by, for example, the processor module 630. In this regard, the processor module 630 may be similar to the control module 120 described above. Processor module 630 may include one or more processors, central processing units, microprocessors, microcontrollers, or the like. For example, processor module 630 may be an integrated component, or may be distributed across various locations. In an exemplary embodiment, the processor module 630 may be capable of receiving input information from the user input device 640 and/or the archive/storage 660, generating output that may be displayed by the display system 650, and manipulating the output in response to input information from the user input device 640, and the like. The processor module 630 may be capable of performing, for example, any of the one or more methods and/or one or more sets of instructions discussed herein in accordance with various embodiments.

Accordingly, the processor module 630 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to process image data to generate images for presentation on the display system 650. Various embodiments of the present disclosure may allow processor module 630 to include volatile and/or non-volatile memory.

The processor module 630 is operable to perform one or more processing operations according to a plurality of selectable imaging modalities on the acquired image scan data. In an exemplary embodiment, the processor module 630 is operable to perform display processing and/or control processing, and the like.

The acquired image scan data may be processed in real-time during the image scan session as the image scan data is received, and/or the image scan data may be stored in archive/memory 660 for processing at a later time. In various implementations, the processed image data may be presented at display system 650 and/or may be stored at archive 660/memory. Archive/storage 138 may include a local archive, Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS), or any suitable means for storing images and related information.

Archive/memory 660 may be one or more computer-readable memories integrated with imaging system 100 and/or communicatively coupled (e.g., over a network) to imaging system 100, such as a Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS), a server, a hard disk, a floppy disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD, a compact memory, a flash memory, a random access memory, a read-only memory, an electrically erasable and programmable read-only memory, and/or any suitable memory. Archive/storage 660 may include, for example, a database, library, information set, or other storage device accessed by processor module 630 and/or in conjunction with processor module 630. For example, archive/storage 660 may be capable of storing data either temporarily or permanently. Archive/memory 660 may be capable of storing medical image data, data generated by processor module 630, and/or instructions readable by processor module 630, among other things. In various implementations, archive/memory 660 stores, for example, image data, labeling images, identification instructions, segmentation instructions, labeling instructions, tracking instructions, and the like. Archive/memory 660 may also include, for example, volatile memory, such as Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) and/or Static Random Access Memory (SRAM).

The user input device 640 may be used to input patient data, scan parameters, settings, select protocols and/or templates, etc. In an exemplary embodiment, the user input device 640 is operable to configure, manage and/or control the operation of one or more components and/or modules in the imaging system 100. In this regard, the user input device 640 may be operable to configure, manage and/or control the operation of the patient bed positioning system 610, the imaging hardware 620, the processor module 630, the user input device 640, the display system 650 and/or the archive/storage 660.

User input device 640 may include, for example, one or more buttons, one or more rotary encoders, a touch screen, motion tracking, voice recognition, a mouse device, a keyboard, a camera, and/or any other device capable of receiving user instructions. In some embodiments, for example, one or more of the user input devices 640 may be integrated into other components (such as the display system 650). For example, the user input device 640 may comprise a touch screen display. As another example, the user input device 640 may include an accelerometer, gyroscope, and/or magnetometer attached to and/or integrated with the patient bed positioning system 610 to provide, for example, position information and/or movement information.

The display system 650 may be any device capable of conveying visual information to a user. For example, the display system 650 may include a liquid crystal display, a light emitting diode display, and/or any suitable display or displays. The display system 650 may be operable to present images and/or any suitable information. For example, the images presented at display system 650 may include a marker, a tracking identifier, or any suitable information.

The components of the imaging system 600 may be implemented in the mechanical systems, hardware, software, firmware, etc., described above for the patient bed positioning system 100 using various techniques. The various components of the imaging system 100 may be communicatively connected. The components of the imaging system 100 may be implemented separately and/or integrated in various forms. For example, the display system 650 and the user input device 640 may be integrated as a touch screen display.

Fig. 7 is a flow diagram of capturing images of a patient using the exemplary system of fig. 1, according to various embodiments. Referring to fig. 7, a flow diagram 700 is shown having blocks 702 through 720. In block 702, the patient is on the bed 102 and the patient bed positioning system 100 is configured to raise the bed 102. The patient bed positioning system 100 is configured as described above with respect to fig. 2. In block 704, the bed 102 may be raised by rotating the motor 122 until the bed 102 reaches a predetermined desired height. The height may be stored in memory associated with, for example, processor module 630 and/or archive/storage 660. Alternatively, the height may be input by an operator via the user input device 640.

In block 706, the patient bed positioning system 100 is configured to move the bed 102 horizontally into position to allow the patient to be scanned by the imaging hardware 620. This configuration may be provided as described above with respect to fig. 3. In block 708, the bed 102 may be moved horizontally by rotating the motor 122. Based on feedback from the position encoder 124, the motor 122 is turned on to move the couch 102 the appropriate distance. The appropriate distance may be determined based on, for example, distances stored in memory associated with processor module 630 and/or archive/storage 660. Alternatively, the distance may be input by an operator via the user input device 640.

In block 710, the couch 102 may be secured in place by configuring the patient couch positioning system 100 as described with respect to fig. 5A or 5B. In block 712, the processor module 630 may control the imaging hardware 620 to obtain a desired image of the patient. After imaging is complete, the bed 102 may return to its original position to allow the patient to exit the bed.

Accordingly, in block 714, the patient bed positioning system 100 may be configured as a horizontal moving bed. If block 710 is not performed to fix the bed, block 714 may not be performed because patient bed positioning system 100 is still in the configuration of horizontal moving bed 102. In block 716, the motor 122 may be appropriately turned on to move the bed 102 to a position in which the bed 102 may be lowered.

In block 718, the patient bed positioning system 100 is configured to lower the bed 102, and in block 720, the motor 122 is turned on to lower the bed 102.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure may automatically configure the patient bed positioning system 100 at various frames as desired. Various embodiments of the present disclosure may provide an operator override to further raise/lower bed 102 and/or horizontal moving bed 102. Operator input may be via, for example, user input device 640.

Thus, although the dual-axis movement system is described for moving a patient bed in a medical scanning system, the dual-axis movement system may be used for any other purpose that requires movement of an object along two axes. A two-axis translation system may also be used as part of a system that requires motion along three axes, for example.

As shown in fig. 1-5B, scissor arm 108 shows a side view from a side of patient bed positioning system 100. Some embodiments may use other structures to stabilize the patient bed positioning system 100. For example, cross bars may be present on the linear rails 106a and/or 106b to provide lateral stability to the patient bed positioning system 100.

Some embodiments may have two scissor arms 108 that are parallel to each other, for example, when the load to be moved is heavy. In some embodiments, the lower left ends of parallel scissor arms 108 may be coupled together and the lower right ends of parallel scissor arms 108 may be coupled together. Thus, only two ball screws 134 and 136, two clutches 128 and 130, a single brake 138, a single motor 122, a single worm gear 126, a single drive shaft 132, etc. are still required.

In some embodiments, the second of the two scissor arms 108 may not be coupled to the drive system, but merely present to impart stability to the patient bed positioning system 100. In general, the drive system may refer to the power source (e.g., motor 122) and the parts that transmit power from the power source (worm gear 126, drive shaft 132, ball screws 134 and 136) to scissor arm 108.

However, various embodiments of the present disclosure may have completely parallel sets of parts. Some embodiments may tilt two scissor arms 108 toward each other at the top or bottom. It can be seen that there are many variations for using a single driver to allow for dual axis motion. The use of a single drive (motor) can save money because no parts of the second drive system are required. In general, the drive system may refer to the power source (e.g., motor 122) and the parts that transmit power from the power source (worm gear 126, drive shaft 132, ball screws 134 and 136, and clutches 128 and 130) to scissor arm 108.

Additionally, while the feedback system is described with respect to some embodiments, other embodiments of the present disclosure may use open loop control of the motor 122. Thus, the sensor 124, the anchor 125, and the wire 125a may not be required.

Thus, it can be seen that the present disclosure provides a system including a drive system including a single motor, a transmission configured to transmit power from the single motor to a first ball screw via a first clutch, and a second clutch configured to transmit power from the first ball screw to a second ball screw. The system also includes a brake configured to apply a braking force to at least a portion of the drive system. A braking force is applied to the second clutch. The system may further include a control module configured to control operation of one or more of the single motor, the first clutch, the second clutch, and the brake, wherein the control module is configured to move the scissor arm in a horizontal direction in the first configuration and adjust a vertical height of the scissor arm in the second configuration. The first clutch may be, for example, a normally open clutch, and the second clutch may be a normally closed clutch.

In a first configuration, the first clutch is configured to engage the transmission to the first ball screw, the second clutch is configured to engage the first ball screw to the second ball screw, and the brake is configured to apply no braking force to at least a portion of the transmission.

In a second configuration, the first clutch is configured to engage the transmission to the first ball screw, the second clutch is configured not to engage the first ball screw to the second ball screw, and the brake is configured to apply a braking force to at least a portion of the transmission, such as the second ball screw. The brake may be, for example, an electromagnetic brake.

The scissor arm includes first and second top ends and first and second bottom ends. The first bottom end may be rotatably coupled to the first linear bearing and the second bottom end may be rotatably coupled to the second linear bearing. The first and second linear bearings may be coupled to the linear rail. The system may include a sensor configured to provide feedback information regarding a position of a portion of the scissor arm.

The present disclosure may also provide a method for adjusting a position of a device along two axes, the method including configuring, by a control module, a drive system to a first configuration in which power is provided by a single motor to move a load on the device along a horizontal axis, configuring, by the control module, the drive system to a second configuration, and providing power by the single motor in the second configuration of the drive system to move the load on the device along a vertical axis.

The first configuration may include configuring the drive system to cause the first ball screw to receive power from the single motor, configuring the drive system to cause the second ball screw to receive power from the first ball screw, and controlling the brake to not apply a braking force to the second ball screw.

The second configuration includes configuring the drive system to cause the first ball screw to receive power from the single motor, configuring the drive system to cause the second ball screw to not receive power from the first ball screw, and controlling the brake to apply a braking force to the second ball screw. The brake may be an electromagnetic brake. The method may further include using position feedback of the device to control movement of a load on the device along the horizontal axis.

The present disclosure may also provide a system for adjusting a position of a bed along two axes of a medical imaging device, the system including a single motor, a transmission configured to transmit power from the single motor to a first ball screw via a first clutch, a second clutch configured to transmit power from the first ball screw to a second ball screw, a brake configured to apply a braking force to the second ball screw, a scissor arm configured to move by rotation of one or both of the first ball screw and the second ball screw, a bed coupled to a top end of the scissor arm, and a control module configured to control operation of the single motor, the first clutch, the second clutch, and the brake.

The control module may be configured to set the system in the first configuration or the second configuration. In the first configuration, the single motor is configured to move the bed in a horizontal direction, and in the second configuration, the single motor is configured to move the bed in a vertical direction.

More specifically, in the first configuration, the first clutch is configured to engage the transmission to the first ball screw, the second clutch is configured to engage the first ball screw to the second ball screw, and the brake is configured to apply no braking force to the second ball screw.

And in a second configuration, the first clutch is configured to engage the transmission to the first ball screw, the second clutch is configured not to engage the first ball screw to the second ball screw, and the brake is configured to apply a braking force to the second ball screw.

The first clutch is a normally disengaged clutch, the second clutch is a normally engaged clutch, and the brake is a normally open brake that does not apply a braking force to the second ball screw in an open state.

As used herein, the term "circuitry" refers to physical electronic components (i.e., hardware) as well as configurable hardware, any software and/or firmware ("code") executed by and/or otherwise associated with hardware. For example, as used herein, a particular processor and memory may comprise first "circuitry" when executing one or more first codes and may comprise second "circuitry" when executing one or more second codes. As used herein, "and/or" means any one or more of the items in the list joined by "and/or". As an example, "x and/or y" represents any element of the three-element set { (x), (y), (x, y) }. As another example, "x, y, and/or z" represents any element of the seven-element set { (x), (y), (z), (x, y), (x, z), (y, z), (x, y, z) }. The term "exemplary", as used herein, means serving as a non-limiting example, instance, or illustration. As used herein, the terms "e.g., (e.g.)" and "e.g., (for example)" bring forth a list of one or more non-limiting examples, instances, or illustrations. As used herein, a circuit is "operable to" and/or "configured to" perform a function whenever the circuit includes the necessary hardware and code (if needed) to perform the function, regardless of whether execution of the function is disabled or not enabled by certain user-configurable settings.

Other embodiments may provide a computer-readable device and/or a non-transitory computer-readable medium, and/or a machine-readable device and/or a non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon machine code and/or a computer program having at least one code section executable by a machine and/or a computer, thereby causing the machine and/or the computer to perform steps for facilitating an ultrasound operator's interaction with an artificial intelligence segmentation module configured to identify and track biological and/or artificial structures in an ultrasound image, as described herein.

Accordingly, the present disclosure may be realized in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The present disclosure may be realized in a centralized fashion in at least one computer system, or in a distributed fashion where different elements are spread across several interconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein is suited.

Various embodiments may also be embedded in a computer program product, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer system is able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the present context means any expression, in any language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having an information processing capability to perform a particular function either directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversion to another language, code or notation; b) replication takes place in different physical forms.

While the disclosure has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but that the disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.