HANDLE FOR A HOUSING FOR A PORTABLE X-RAY DEVICE

Abstract

A handle for a housing of a portable X-ray device includes an annular base body. The annular base body includes a holding part and a mounting part. A mounting device is disposed in the mounting part and includes two wheels spaced apart from one another on a common axle and a recess between the two wheels, wherein the two wheels protrude beyond an outer contour of the annular base body. Connecting straps are disposed on the holding part and configured to connect the annular base body to the housing.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS

This application is a U.S. National Phase application under 35 U.S.C. §371 of International Application No. PCT/EP2010/004810, filed on Aug. 5, 2010, and claims benefit to German Patent Application No. DE 10 2009 036 399.8, filed on Aug. 6, 2009. The International Application was published in German on Feb. 10, 2011 as WO 2011/015361 under PCT Article 21(2).

FIELD

The invention relates to a handle for a housing for a portable X-ray device.

BACKGROUND

Some portable X-ray devices can be carried by one or two people and can thus also be used in the open. They are used for example to check pipes for cracks or the quality of the weld seams connecting them. Such portable X-ray devices, such as for example the Y.XPO 225 model of the applicant, have a metallic housing which is formed substantially rotation-symmetrical about its longitudinal axis—apart from an X-ray exit window and connections for, for example, an external power supply. However, the diameter of the housing in question can vary, depending on which parts of it are housed where. Attached to each of the two ends of the housing is a carrier ring which is formed substantially like a driving wheel of a motor vehicle and has a circular bar by which the X-ray device can be held securely by the people carrying it. However, the portable X-ray devices have the disadvantage that they have to be lifted by the people carrying them to pass between two successive points for examination and have to be set down again at the new site where the next point for examination is.

SUMMARY

In an embodiment, the present invention provides a handle for a housing of a portable X-ray device. The handle includes an annular base body. The annular base body includes a holding part and a mounting part. A mounting device is disposed in the mounting part and includes two wheels spaced apart from one another on a common axle and a recess between the two wheels, wherein the two wheels protrude beyond an outer contour of the annular base body. Connecting straps are disposed on the holding part and configured to connect the annular base body to the housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be described in even greater detail below based on the exemplary figures. The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments. Other features and advantages of various embodiments of the present invention will become apparent by reading the following detailed description with reference to the attached drawings which illustrate the following:

FIG. 1 two handles according to an embodiment of the invention on a housing for a portable X-ray device with mounting devices on both ends in an upright position,

FIG. 2 a perspective view of the handle represented in FIG. 1 at the bottom without housing, represented on a tubular object for testing,

FIG. 3 a front view of the handle represented in FIG. 2 from a direction from below in FIG. 1, represented on a tubular object for testing,

FIG. 4 the rear view of the handle from FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 the view of the handle in the direction from below in FIG. 3,

FIG. 6 the view of the handle from above in FIG. 3 and

FIG. 7 the view of the handle from the left in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An aspect of the invention provides a handle for such a housing for a portable X-ray device in such a way that it is possible to pass more easily from one recording point to another recording point.

In an embodiment, because the holding part of the handle is connected to a mounting device in which two spaced-apart wheels are arranged on an axle, the whole X-ray device, to which a handle according to an embodiment of the invention is attached, no longer has to be lifted from the ground or from the object to be examined in order to move it from one recording point to another, but can be pulled by means of the wheels. This requires the exertion of significantly less force than lifting and displacing. Movement is possible as the wheels protrude beyond the contour of the base body, with the result that during movement the housing does not rest over a surface—at least if this does not have excessively large steps—but the wheels always represent the outermost part of the whole device. As many portable X-ray devices already have a handle on the housing—as a rule even one at each end—there is no need to attach an additional element to the housing, but this can be realized by an integration into the already present handle or handles.

An advantageous development of the invention provides that in the mounting device a fixing device is formed for fixing the wheels vis-à-vis the mounting device. It is thus ensured that the X-ray device can be fixed in its position during a recording (unless it is located on sloping ground). Other fixing devices, for example locking by engagement of pins in holes in the wheels or by brake shoes which grip on the wheels (such as in the case of disc brakes), can be used to fix the wheels. As such designs are familiar to a person skilled in the art and their specific design is not an issue according to an embodiment of the invention, further examples of this with precise embodiment will not be given.

A further advantageous development of the invention provides that the fixing device has a fixing handle projecting beyond the mounting device. Through such a fixing handle it is possible to effect the fixing of the wheels in a particularly simple manner. This can even happen with only a single hand as a rule with such a design, with the result that the X-ray device can be clamped at the desired place with the other hand in the meantime. A single person is also sufficient for this.

A further advantageous development of the invention provides that the recess between the two wheels is arc-shaped. Through such an arc-shaped recess, the mounting device can very advantageously be fitted onto a tubular body, for example a pipeline tube. The wheels are then still in contact with the tube casing and the part of the mounting device lying in between does not rest on the tube casing. It is thus ensured that the X-ray device can be moved along the tube casing by means of a rolling movement of the wheels and there is no need to pull with a sliding movement on a part of the mounting device, which would involve the exertion of much more force and under certain circumstances cause damage to the tube casing. It is preferred if the recess does not extend as far as the axle. It may also be mentioned that in respect of the used circle radius the recess can be adapted to the diameters of the tubular objects to be examined with the portable X-ray device. This means that in the case of smaller tube diameters the arc-shaped recess cuts in deeper in the direction of the axle of the wheels than in the case of larger diameters of tubular objects to be checked. In particular when the size of the wheels is matched to the distance between them, tubular objects for examination either with very small diameters—then it is advisable to place the wheels closer together or to make them larger—or with a larger diameter can thus be examined.

A further advantageous development of the invention provides that the holding part is formed as a carrier ring. It is thereby possible not only that a particularly good movement of the X-ray device can occur between two recording points, but also that it can be satisfactorily taken to the object to be examined or removed from the object to be examined after the end of the examination. Thus, the X-ray device can for example also be carried over uneven ground to a vehicle in which it can then be taken away again to its location at the company that is using it.

A further advantageous development of the invention provides that the holding part is formed in one plane. This makes it easier to grip the handle, as this always leads to the same grip plane, irrespective of the position of the portable X-ray device on which the handle is located.

A further advantageous development of the invention provides that the handle is formed symmetrical to a plane of symmetry which is perpendicular to the plane and the two wheels are the same distance from it. The portable X-ray device on which the handle is arranged is thus arranged centrally on a tubular body to be examined and a lateral slipping on the body to be examined is hindered.

A further advantageous development of the invention provides that the mounting part is not in the plane, and the axle runs parallel to the plane. This makes it easier to shift the portable X-ray device on which the handle is arranged from one site of the tubular body to be examined to another site of the same body, as rolling along on one of two handles which are attached to both ends of the housing of the portable X-ray device is guaranteed, in particular when lifted from one side.

A further advantageous development of the invention provides that the handle is attached to a housing for a portable X-ray device with a longitudinal axis and a maximum diameter perpendicular to the latter, wherein the axle is aligned perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and the wheels protrude at least partially beyond the housing at the maximum diameter in a projection along the longitudinal axis. Because the axle is aligned perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and thus substantially parallel to the diameter of the housing, the movement along the longitudinal axis can be carried out without the need for the exertion of additional force perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. As a result, a significantly simpler X-ray device procedure can thus be carried out compared with carrying the X-ray device.

A further advantageous development of the invention provides that the wheels are the same distance from the longitudinal axis. It is thus ensured that a tilting of the X-ray device relative to the longitudinal axis during the process, as occurs when the wheels are arranged on only one side, does not occur. This makes it much easier to move the X-ray device from one recording point to the other. For a person skilled in the art, it is clear that a slight difference in the distances from the wheels to the longitudinal axis also has the same effect and thus the effect according to an embodiment of the invention is also achieved with substantially the same distance.

A further advantageous development of the invention provides that the handle is connected to a first end of the housing. It is thus firstly ensured that an additional element does not have to be added to the housing of the portable X-ray device, as the handle is already there. Secondly, such a handle is always located at an end of the housing, with the result that by simply taking hold of the other end of the housing, where a second handle is as a rule already mounted, the rolling pulling or pushing movement between two recording points can be easily carried out by a single person. This can be compared to a wheeled suitcase which has two rollers at its one, lower end and a handle for pulling at its opposite, upper end. Because at the same time a second handle according to an embodiment of the invention is connected to a second end of the housing, the movement of the X-ray device is simplified still further. It is not even necessary any longer for the case given here with two handles for the person moving the X-ray device between two recording points to lift this using a handle and roll the X-ray device only on the two wheels of the other handle, but in the given case it is possible to move the whole of the X-ray device on four wheels, thus without any danger of tilting. This further simplifies the handling. It is particularly advantageous if the axles of the two mounting devices, viewed in the direction of the longitudinal axis, are substantially congruent.

A further advantageous development of the invention provides that the recesses of the two mounting devices of the two handles, viewed in the direction of the longitudinal axis, are congruent. It is thus ensured for tubular objects for testing which have a uniform diameter over the length—such as for example pipeline tubes—that the object to be examined is not set on the tube casing at a mounting device attached to the two handles. For a person skilled in the art, it is clear that the same effect according to an embodiment of the invention is also achieved with a merely substantial congruence.

Two handles 17, 21 according to an embodiment of the invention, in conjunction with a housing 1 for a portable X-ray device, are represented in FIG. 1. Both the first handle 17 attached to its first end 2 and the second handle 21 attached to its second end 3 have in each case a holding part 18 and a mounting part 19. The two holding parts 18 are each formed as a carrier ring. The two mounting parts 19 are equipped with a first mounting device 10 and a second mounting device 20 respectively. The housing 1 has a longitudinal axis 4 (in FIG. 1 the central longitudinal axis of the housing 1 is shown) and two sections with different diameters 5. Depending on the design, there are also portable X-ray devices the housings 1 of which have the same diameter 5 throughout. In the embodiment example represented, the housing 1 has its maximum diameter 5 in the upper area of the second end 3 which is connected to the second mounting device 20. The different diameters 5 along the longitudinal axis 4 of the housing 1 are due to the design, well known to a person skilled in the art, of the X-ray tube that is contained in the housing 1. As these are not integral to the invention (any more than the X-ray tube per se), they are not discussed in more detail below. The same also applies to any connections present on the housing 1 for example for a power supply for the high-voltage generation means integrated in the housing.

In the area of the housing 1 which has a smaller diameter 5 an X-ray window 6 through which the X-ray tube contained in the housing 1 emits its X-radiation during operation can be seen added to the first end 2.

The first mounting device 10 according to an embodiment of the invention is connected to the first end 2 of the housing 1 via two connecting straps 16 (only one is to be seen, stylized—the specific design can be seen in FIGS. 2 to 7). This is a connection that can be released, for example by screwing. However, as the manner of securing the connecting straps 16 to the housing 1 is not essential to the invention and is well known to a person skilled in the art, it is not discussed in more detail below.

The first mounting device 10 has a first wheel 12 and a second wheel 13, between which an arc-shaped recess 14 is formed. The two wheels 12, 13 and the recess 14 are integrated into a first handle 17 as constituents of the first mounting device 10. Further details on the design of the first mounting device 10 within the first handle 17 are found below in reference to the FIGS. 2 to 7 in which this can be seen more clearly.

The second mounting device 20 is connected to the housing 1 via connecting straps 22 at the opposite second end 3 of the housing 1. The second mounting device 20 is integrated into a second handle 21. The design of the second mounting device 20, its integration into the second handle 21 and its connection to the housing 1 are essentially the same as in the case of the first mounting device 10. A description in more detail of the design of the second mounting device 20 is therefore dispensed with in the following, but reference is made to the analogous statements relating to the first mounting device 10 within the first handle 17—as described in the following on FIGS. 2 to 7.

In each of FIGS. 2 to 4, a representation of the whole of the first handle 17 with holding part 18 and mounting part 19 seen from different directions and its co-operation with a tube 30 to be examined is shown. FIG. 2 shows a perspective view, FIG. 3 a front view from the direction facing away from the housing 1 (see FIG. 1)—thus seen from below in FIG. 1—and FIG. 4 a rear view from the opposite direction to FIG. 3, thus seen from above in FIG. 1. The housing 1 is not represented in these figures, the better to represent the essential elements of the invention. In the following, FIGS. 2 to 4 and the features that can be seen in them are described together.

The design of the first handle 17 over large areas is like a circular ring with a circular cross-section. If the whole of this circular ring were of this design, a carrier ring, such as is known from the state of the art, would be obtained in order that the portable X-ray device can be carried from one place to the other without problem by one or two people (depending on the size and weight). Unlike the handles known from the state of the art, part of the first handle 17 according to an embodiment of the invention—in this case the mounting part—is not suitable for carrying, but is formed as a first mounting device 10. In the representation it is the lower area of the first handle 17. The first mounting device 10 has an axle 11 about which a first wheel 12 and a second wheel 13 rotate. By an axle 11 within the meaning of the invention is meant any type of axle—thus both fixed and rotating axles—but also all types of shafts. The axle 11 also need not be continuous over the whole width, but can for example be formed separately for each individual wheel 12, 13. The mounting of the axle 11 or the wheels 12, 13 on the axle 11 is not essential to the invention and is known to a person skilled in the art; all known types of mounting can be used.

A fixing device (of which only a fixing handle 15 is represented) which serves to lock the rotation of the wheels 12, 13 acts on the two wheels 12, 13. Such fixing devices are also sufficiently known to a person skilled in the art—for example in the form of a disc brake or the engagement of a pin in openings within the wheels 12, 13—with the result that there is no need to discuss the design more precisely. The fixing device is operated in the embodiment example by a fixing handle 15 which projects inwards over the first mounting device 10 to the centre of the first handle 17. By means of this fixing handle 15, the fixing device can easily be operated with one hand, with the result that the X-ray device, while it is secured at the desired position with one hand by the operator, can be fixed with the other hand by actuating the fixing handle 15.

The two wheels 12, 13 are spaced apart and are the same distance from the longitudinal axis 4 of the housing 1 (not represented in FIG. 2). As a result of this, the longitudinal axis 4 of the housing 1 is arranged centrally over the longitudinal axis of the tube 30 after fitting the first mounting device 10 on the tube 30. Compared with an arrangement of the wheels 12, 13 in which the second wheel 13 for example would be arranged directly on the connecting line between the longitudinal axis 4 of the housing 1 and the longitudinal axis of the tube 30, a tilting of the X-ray device on the tube 30 is thus reduced.

Moreover, a recess 14 between the two wheels 12, 13 can still be clearly seen in FIGS. 2 to 4. This recess 14 has an arc shape in its top view (thus FIGS. 3 and 4). Over the depth of the first mounting device 10, this means that the recess 14 has the shape of a cylindrical jacket, wherein however in the embodiment example sections tapering to different extents towards the front side and the rear side (see FIGS. 3 and 4) of the first mounting device 10 form. The recess 14 leads—as can be clearly seen in FIGS. 2 to 4—to the first mounting device 10 not resting on the tube 30 if the two wheels 12, 13 rest on the tube surface. This means that the first handle 17 and thus also the whole X-ray device can be pushed or pulled on the wheels 12, 13 over the tube 30 without the first mounting device 10 dragging on the tube 30. Very little force is thus needed to shift the X-ray device on the tube 30; moreover the surface of the tube 30 is spared when there is a shift, as there is no abrasion such as occurs during a sliding movement of the first mounting device 10.

The shape of the recess 14 (in particular its radius of curvature) is advantageously chosen such that, depending on the diameter of the wheels 12, 13 and their distance from each other on the axle 11, a free movement is ensured without the first mounting device 10 resting on the tube 30 to be examined. Given a constant distance between the two wheels 12, 13 and a constant diameter of these wheels 12, 13, this means that in the case of smaller diameters of the tube 30 to be examined the radius of curvature of the recess 14 must be smaller, which leads to a deeper recess 14 (in FIGS. 3 and 4, thus a recess 14 projecting further upwards). It is to be borne in mind that the recess 14 cannot extend upwards over the lower end of the axle 11 in the case of a continuous axle 11, as otherwise the axle 11 is exposed and this would rest on the surface of the tube 30. With a divided axle 11, this problem does not exist, as no axle 11 is then formed in the area between the two wheels 12, 13.

Moreover, the arrangement of the two connecting straps 16 and their specific design can also be seen in FIGS. 2 to 4. These start from the inner surface of the first handle 17 and then extend at their end in a curve substantially parallel to the housing 1. In the area of their end, bores are provided via which they can be connected to the housing 1, for example by screwing.

FIG. 5 shows, on an enlarged scale, the view of the first handle 17 from below onto the mounting part 19 (based on FIGS. 3 and 4). The recess 14 can be seen between the two wheels 12, 13 and the different degrees of taper in the direction of the housing 1 (not represented) downwards or upwards away from this. The axle 11 is indicated dashed only in the area of the second wheel 13. Furthermore the two opposite connecting straps 16 formed on the first handle 17 can be seen.

FIG. 6 is a view onto the holding part 18 of the first handle 17 with the first mounting device 10 from the opposite direction to that represented in FIG. 5 (thus from above in FIGS. 3 and 4). The upper curvature of the first handle 17 formed as a carrier ring can easily be seen, above which the wheels 12, 13 which are mounted in the first mounting device 10 project in the lower area.

Finally, FIG. 7 shows a side view (from the left in FIG. 3) of the first handle 17. It can easily be seen that the connecting strap 16 is formed on the holding part 18 symmetrical to the longitudinal axis 4 of the housing 1. In addition, it will be seen that the first handle 17 is slightly bent in the area of the mounting part 19 where the first mounting device 10 is formed. The bend points from the plane which is covered by the (partial) ring shape of the first handle 17 in the direction of the housing 1 (thus to the left in FIG. 7). The bend is so sharp that the front edge of the first wheel 12 (on the right in the figure—thus pointing away from the housing 1) is formed approximately in alignment with the first handle 17. The first wheel 12 rotates about the axle 11.

As already stated above, the second mounting device 20 in the second handle 21 according to an embodiment of the invention is formed essentially the same as the first mounting device 10 in the first handle 17. As a result of this the longitudinal axis 4 of the housing 1 lies parallel to the surface of the tube 30 when the X-ray device rests on the wheels 12, 13 (there are then four wheels in total) on the tube 30. A particularly simple and effort-saving movement of the X-ray device on the tube 30 is thereby ensured. This can be accomplished without problem by one person or optionally two people—if the X-ray device has to be brought into a position in which it must be attached for example not on the tube 30 but alongside it (for example at 90° to the representation in FIG. 3), in order to carry out an examination there. In such a lateral position, the X-ray device then still needs to be fixed to the tube 30 by suitable means, for example by a belt (which is however perfectly familiar to a person skilled in the art and therefore does not have to be described in more detail), so that it does not fall beneath it.

While the invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those having ordinary skill the art that various changes may be made therein without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Further, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein; reference should be had to the appended claims.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 housing

2 first end

3 second end

4 longitudinal axis

5 diameter

6 X-ray window

10 first mounting device

11 axle

12 first wheel

13 second wheel

14 recess

15 fixing handle

16 connecting strap

17 first handle

18 holding part

19 mounting part

20 second mounting device

21 second handle

22 connecting strap

30 tube

Claims

1-14. (canceled)

15. A handle for a housing of a portable X-ray device comprising:

an annular base body including a holding part and a mounting part;

a mounting device disposed in the mounting part and including two wheels spaced apart from one another on a common axle and a recess between the two wheels, wherein the two wheels protrude beyond an outer contour of the annular base body; and

connecting straps disposed on the holding part and configured to connect the annular base body to the housing.

16. The handle as recited in claim 15, wherein the mounting device includes a fixing device configured to fix the two wheels.

17. The handle as recited in claim 16, wherein the fixing device includes a fixing handle projecting beyond the mounting device.

18. The handle as recited in claim 15, wherein the recess includes an arc shape.

19. The handle as recited in claim 18, wherein the recess does not extend to the common axle.

20. The handle as recited in claim 15, wherein the holding part includes a carrier ring.

21. The handle as recited in claim 15, wherein the holding part is planar in a holding part plane.

22. The handle as recited in claim 21, wherein the holding part is symmetrical about a plane of symmetry that is perpendicular to the holding part plane, and wherein the two wheels are each disposed at a same distance from the plane of symmetry.

23. The handle as recited in claim 21, wherein the mounting part is not diposed in the holding part plane, and wherein the common axle extends parallel to the holding part plane.

24. The handle as recited in claim 15, wherein the housing includes a longitudinal axis and a maximum diameter perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and wherein the common axle is aligned so as to be perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and the two wheels protrude along the longitudinal axis at least partially beyond the maximum diameter of the housing.

25. The handle as recited in claim 24, wherein the two wheels are each disposed at a same distance from the longitudinal axis.

26. The handle as recited in claim 15, wherein the handle includes a first and a second handle, the first handle connected to a first end of the housing and the second handle connected to a second end of the housing.

27. The handle as recited in claim 26, wherein the common axle of the mounting device of the first handle and the common axle of the mounting device of the second handle are congruent along the longitudinal axis.

28. The handle as recited in claim 26, wherein the recess of the mounting device of the first handle and the recess of the mounting device of the second handle are congruent along the longitudinal axis.