Patents by Inventor Heikki Kanerva

Heikki Kanerva has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5371775
    Abstract: The invention relates to a panoramic X-ray photography apparatus having a rotatably mounted supporting arm (1) which has at one end an X-ray source (2) and at the opposite end an image receptor (3), in which case the object is placed between the X-ray source (2) and the image receptor (3) and the imaging is carried out by rotating the supporting arm. The idea of the invention is that a simple panoramic X-ray photography apparatus can also be used for tomography, since the object to be imaged, i.e. the denture, contains mainly vertical surfaces and a horizontal oscillating movement suffices for blurring them. An additional idea is that by moving the bearing shaft (4) of the supporting arm along a circle arc portion during blurring, the fulcrum can be shifted to outside the bearing shaft, thus eliminating certain limitations imposed by the mechanics of a conventional X-ray photography apparatus with respect to the area to be imaged and the location of the supporting arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Orion-yhtyma Oy
    Inventors: Heikki Kanerva, Matti Wahlstrom
  • Patent number: 4852134
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for the radiographic recording of a patient's dentition, jaws, and skull regions invalues seating a patient in a patient chair (9) so as localize the patient in the coordinate system of the radiographic apparatus in an unequivocal position before taking the exposure for a radiograph (87). Furthermore, in accordance with the invention, the radiograph (87) is used for measuring the coordinates of a desired object (95) by a coordinate locator (88), after which the desired partial area (94 or 96) is selected on the basis of the coordinates, and the exposure direction is changed in relation to the first exposure in the horizontal plane and/or the vertical plane before executing the exposure program for the desired partial area (94 or 96).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 1987
    Date of Patent: July 25, 1989
    Assignee: Orion-Yhtyma Oy
    Inventors: Ilmari Kinanen, Heikki Kanerva, Erkki Tammisalo
  • Patent number: 4683581
    Abstract: An apparatus for panoramic X-ray photography of the area of the dentition and the jaws, comprising a frame part, a bearing part linearly movable in relation to the frame part, and a support arm attached rotatably to the bearing part, the arm having at one end an X-ray film and at the opposite end an X-ray source. The movements of the bearing part, the support arm and the film are synchronized in such a way that an image of an area of desired shape, e.g. the patient's dental arch, is obtained on the film. The invention provides a possibility, without shifting the patient, of altering the enlargement and, additionally of tilting the X-ray beam a desired angle in relation to the horizontal, whereby e.g. teeth oblique in relation to the vertical can be photographed more sharply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 1985
    Date of Patent: July 28, 1987
    Assignee: Orion-Yhtyma
    Inventors: Erkki Tammisalo, Heikki Kanerva, Jaakko Aarnio, Markku Wederhorn, Kai Laner
  • Patent number: 4646335
    Abstract: An apparatus for panoramic X-ray photography of the area of the dentition and the jaws, comprising a frame part, a bearing part linearly movable in relation to the frame part, and a support arm attached rotatably to the bearing part, and having at one end an X-ray film and at the opposite end an X-ray source. The movements of the bearing part, the support arm and the film are synchronized in such a way that an image of an area of desired shape, e.g. the patient's dental arch, is obtained on the film. The invention provides the effect that the X-ray beam can be tilted to a desired angle in relation to the horizontal, whereby it is possible with greater sharpness to photograph, for example, teeth slanted in relation to the vertical. For this purpose, the support arm is tiltable about an axis perpendicular to its rotational axis so that, when this axis is vertical, the straight line connecting the source of radiation and the film is obligue to the horizontal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 1985
    Date of Patent: February 24, 1987
    Assignee: Orion-Yhtyma
    Inventors: Erkki Tammisalo, Heikki Kanerva, Jaakko Aarnio, Markku Wederhorn, Kai Laner
  • Patent number: 4553255
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for regulating and stabilizing the radiation intensity level of an X-ray source. The apparatus includes high voltage circuitry for supplying anode and cathode voltages to an X-ray tube and filament voltage circuitry for supplying voltage to the filament of the tube. Both the high voltage and filament voltage circuitry are regulated by multiple feedback voltage level control circuits. The method of the present invention involves the forming of the high voltage and filament voltage circuitry and the supplying of appropriate feedback signals to such circuitry to maintain the high voltages and filament voltage at desired levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 1984
    Date of Patent: November 12, 1985
    Assignee: Philips Medical Systems
    Inventor: Heikki Kanerva