1. A vertical bore coil lifter including:
at least one inner support for the inner wraps of a coil;
at least one outer support for the outer wraps of the coil; and
the inner support further comprising first and second inner legs, each leg having a foot at a remote end of said inner leg for traversing the vertical bore in the coil and adapted to extend under the coil when the coil is lifted;
the outer support further comprising first and second outer legs, each leg having a foot at a remote end of said outer leg for traversing outside the coil and adapted to extend under the coil when the coil is lifted;
the first outer leg and the first inner leg being pivotally connected by a first lifting pivot;
the second outer leg and the second inner leg being pivotally connected by a second lifting pivot;
the first inner leg and the second inner leg being pivotally connected by a release pivot;
the lifting pivots comprising one or more first predetermined locations on the lifter; and
a linkage between the at least one inner support and the at least one outer support arranged to selectively bring said inner support and said outer support toward each other for a closed configuration or away from each other for an open configuration for lifting and releasing of the coil, wherein the linkage is arranged to bring said inner support and said outer support away from each other in response to a lifting force applied at one or more first predetermined locations on the lifter.
2. A lifter according to claim 1, wherein the linkage is further arranged to bring said inner support and said outer support away from each other in response to a lifting force applied at a second predetermined location on the lifter.
3. A lifter according to claim 1, wherein the first inner foot and the first outer foot are opposed.
4. A lifter according to claim 3, wherein the second inner foot and the second outer foot are opposed.
5. A lifter according to claim 1, wherein the release pivot comprises the second predetermined location on the lifter.
6. A lifter according to claim 5, wherein the first lifting pivot is laterally distanced from the first outer leg and the first inner leg.
7. A lifter according to claim 6, wherein the second lifting pivot is laterally distanced from the second outer leg and the second inner leg.
8. A lifter according to claim 7, wherein the release pivot is laterally spaced from the first inner leg and from the second inner leg.
9. A lifter according to claim 8, including at least one adjustment assembly arranged to selectively vary the distance between at least one inner and outer pair of said legs.
10. A lifter according to claim 9, including a first member pivotally connected at either end between the first outer leg and the second inner leg.
11. A lifter according to claim 10, wherein the linkage also includes a second member pivotally connected at either end between the second outer leg and the first inner leg.
12. A lifter according to claim 1 including a user actuated assembly arranged for a user to select between the release configuration and the closed configuration.
13. A lifter according to claim 1, including an automatic latchingunlatching mechanism arranged to automatically alternate the lifter from the release to the closed configuration and vice-versa in response to tensioning and release of a lifting line coupled to said mechanism.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A multiple axes scanning system for measuring radiation from a radiation source, the system comprising:
a processor having means for analysis and data storage;
a controller operable with the processor;
a ring drive operable with the controller for providing a rotational movement about a first axis responsive to a command therefrom;
a horizontal drive operable with the controller for providing horizontal movement along a second axis, the horizontal drive operable with the ring drive for receiving a rotational movement therefrom about the first axis;
a vertical drive operable with the controller for providing a vertical movement of the horizontal drive along a third axis responsive to a command therefrom; and
a radiation detector carried by the horizontal drive for receiving the horizontal movement therefrom, the radiation detector providing sensing signals to the processor for locations of the radiation detector orientated through at least one of circular, horizontal, and vertical movement along the first, second and third axes, respectively, as a result of the commands from the controller.
2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the ring drive comprises a circular gear, and wherein the controller comprises a first motor operable with the circular gear for providing the rotational movement.
3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal drive comprises a belt and pulley assembly driven by a second motor for moving the radiation detector towards and away from the first axis of the ring drive.
4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the vertical drive comprises a screw gear driven by a third motor mounted to the ring drive.
5. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an electrometer operable between the processor and the radiation detector.
6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a reference detector operable at a fixed location for comparing the sensing signals of the radiation detector to the reference detector.
7. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a vessel dimensioned for movement of the radiation detector therein.
8. The system according to claim 7, further comprising an offset mount operable with the horizontal drive, wherein the radiation detector is carried by the offset mount, and wherein the offset mount is dimensioned for extending the radiation detector to one of at least proximate and against an inside wall surface of the vessel during a scanning movement of the radiation detector along the first, second and third axes.
9. The system according to claim 7, wherein the vessel comprises a cylindrical shape.
10. The system according to claim 7, further comprising a liquid carried within the vessel.
11. The system according to claim 10, further comprising a surface sensor operable with the liquid for determining a location of a surface of the liquid.
12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the surface sensor is carried by the horizontal drive, thus allowing measurements to be taken at multiple non-collinear positions by movement of the vertical drive for locating the surface of the liquid.
13. The system according to claim 12, further comprising analysis means operable with the processor, the analysis means calculating a level error of a three dimensional scanning with respect to the water surface for making level adjustments for maintaining the radiation detector generally parallel to the water surface.
14. The system according to claim 11, wherein the surface sensor comprises at least one of an ultrasonic sensor and a capacitive sensor.
15. The system according to claim 7, further comprising a table, wherein the table carries the vessel thereon.
16. The system according to claim 15, further comprising adjustment means operable with the table for providing a leveling and shifting thereof.
17. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an offset mount carried by the horizontal drive, wherein the radiation detector is carried by the offset mount, and wherein the offset mount is dimensioned for extending the detector beyond a circumferential path of the circular ring drive during horizontal movement of the radiation detector through movement by the horizontal drive.
18. The system according to claim 1, further comprising further an axis adjustment device operable with the radiation detector for providing an alignment of a scan ring axis of the ring drive to a beam axis from a radiation source.
19. The system according to claim 18, further comprising analysis means operable with the processor, the analysis means analyzing orthogonal scans of the radiation detector at different vertical locations along a beam axis for providing a beam center that defines a collinear beam axis resulting in an adjustment to be made for collecting clinical beam data.
20. The system according to claim 1, further comprising analysis means operable with the processor, the analysis means calculating at least one of:
ratios of normalized orthogonal scanned beam profiles resulting in a value of radial homogeneity of a radiation detected by the radiation detector and providing a comparison of a penumbra shape characteristic to beam shapers such as jaw positions;
ratios of percent depth dose curves, normalized at same depth, measured at different beam energies, resulting in values that trend up or down, depending upon actual beam energy, thereby providing comparison means with expected trend;
ratios of normalized profiles measured with a similar beam geometry but measured at different times in a queuing process, resulting in values that should not change if no physical setup changes occurred, no physical operating conditions of the scanning system occurred, no changes in a radiation delivery occurred; and
ratios of normalized scans that have a corresponding radiation source setup conditions that were measured in a reference set of radiation source measurements that are known to be desirable.
21. The system according to claim 1, further comprising profile analysis means operable with the processor, the profile analysis means determining beam penumbra from a scanned penumbra by a de-convolution process of a scanned detector response, wherein the de-convolution process uses a chamber spread function that is determined from data measured by scanning the radiation detector that exhibits penumbra spreading and another detector that does not exhibit significant penumbra spreading.
22. A radiation measurement system comprising:
a controller;
a ring drive having a command connection with the controller for providing a rotational movement about a first axis;
a horizontal drive having a command connection with the controller, the horizontal drive operable along a second axis in a horizontal movement generally parallel to a diameter of the ring drive; and
a radiation detector carried by the horizontal drive for the horizontal movement of the radiation detector.
23. The system according to claim 22, wherein the ring drive comprises a circular gear, and wherein the controller comprises a first motor operable with the circular gear for providing the rotational movement.
24. The system according to claim 22, wherein the horizontal drive comprises a belt and pulley assembly operable with a second motor for moving the radiation detector along a second axis toward and away from the first axis of the ring drive.
25. The system according to claim 22, further comprising a vertical drive having a command connection with the controller for providing a vertical movement along a third axis.
26. The system according to claim 25, wherein the vertical drive comprises a screw gear driven by a third motor mounted to the ring drive.
27. The system according to claim 22, further comprising a processor, wherein the controller and the radiation detector communicate with the processor for providing sensing signals to the processor for locations of the radiation detector orientated through movement by the drives.
28. The system according to claim 27, further comprising an electrometer operable between the processor and the radiation detector.
29. The system according to claim 22, further comprising a reference detector operable at a fixed location for comparing the sensing signal of the radiation detector to radiation signals from the reference detector.
30. The system according to claim 22, further comprising a vessel dimensioned for movement of the radiation detector therein.
31. The system according to claim 30, further comprising an offset mount operable with the horizontal drive, wherein the radiation detector is carried by the offset mount, and wherein the offset mount is dimensioned for extending the detector to at least one of proximate and against an inside wall surface of the vessel during movement of the radiation detector along the axes.
32. The system according to claim 22, wherein the radiation detector is operable with a liquid, and wherein the system further comprises a surface sensor operable for determining a location of a surface of the liquid.
33. The system according to claim 22, further comprising an offset mount carrying the radiation detector, wherein the offset mount is dimensioned for extending the radiation detector beyond a circumferential path of the ring drive during movement of the radiation detector along the second axis.
34. The system according to claim 33, wherein the radiation detector comprises multiple radiation detectors.
35. A radiation measurement scanning system comprising:
a controller:
a circular ring drive defined about a first axis;
a horizontal linear drive operable with at least one of the vertical linear drive and the circular ring drive for vertical movement of the horizontal linear drive thereby along a second axis;
a vertical linear drive operable along a third axis for movement of the horizontal drive therealong;
a radiation detector carried by the horizontal linear drive; and
at least one motor coupled to the drives, the at least one motor having a command connection with the controller for providing a movement of the radiation detector along at least one of the first, second and third axes, wherein the radiation detector provides sensing signals for locations of the radiation detector orientated through at least one of circular, vertical and horizontal movement thereof.
36. The system according to claim 35, wherein the circular ring drive comprises a circular gear, and wherein the controller comprises a first motor operable with the circular gear for providing a rotation thereof.
37. The system according to claim 35, wherein the horizontal linear drive comprises a belt and pulley assembly operable by a second motor for moving the radiation detector through and away from the first axis of the circular ring drive.
38. The system according to claim 35, wherein the vertical linear drive comprises a screw gear driven by a third motor mounted to the circular ring drive.
39. The system according to claim 35, further comprising an electrometer operable with the radiation detector.
40. The system according to claim 35, further comprising a reference detector operable at a fixed location for comparing the sensing signal from the radiation detector to radiation signals from the reference detector.
41. The system according to claim 35, further comprising a processor operable with the controller and the radiation detector.
42. The system according to claim 41, further comprising analysis means operable with the processor, the analysis means calculating at least one of:
ratios of normalized orthogonal scanned beam profiles resulting in a value of radial homogeneity of a radiation detected by the radiation detector and providing a comparison of a penumbra shape characteristic to beam shapers such as jaw positions;
ratios of percent depth dose curves, normalized at same depth, measured at different beam energies, resulting in values that trend up or down, depending upon actual beam energy, thereby providing comparison means with expected trend;
ratios of normalized profiles measured with a similar beam geometry but measured at different times in a queuing process, resulting in values that should not change if no physical setup changes occurred, no physical operating conditions of the scanning system occurred, no changes in a radiation delivery occurred; and
ratios of normalized scans that have a corresponding radiation source setup conditions that were measured in a reference set of radiation source measurements that are known to be desirable.
43. The system according to claim 41, further comprising profile analysis means operable with the processor, the profile analysis means determining beam penumbra from a scanned penumbra by a de-convolution process of a scanned detector response, wherein the de-convolution process uses a chamber spread function that is determined from data measured by scanning the radiation detector that exhibits penumbra spreading and another detector that does not exhibit significant penumbra spreading.