Rolling radiation protection screen

Abstract

The present invention relates to a screen (1) made of a radiation protection material for protecting an operator from radiation of X-rays or other types of ionizing radiation. The screen (1) is placed on the ground via a base (6) having two free sides (2", 3") and equipped with casters (7, 8). At least two front casters (7) extend cantilevered from the front face (1b) of the screen, and two other lateral casters (8) are attached to the ends of support devices (9) located on one of the free sides (2", 3"), respectively. According to the invention, the support device (9) for the lateral casters (8) includes at least one horizontal connecting rod (10, 11) with two vertical pivot axes (12, 14, 15) for mounting the lateral casters (8) rotatably about at least two vertical axes.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the general field of devices for protection against ionizing radiation.

[0002] The present invention relates more particularly to radiation protection screens used in medical or other environments to protect operators against ionizing radiation, such as X-ray radiation, and even more particularly to rollable radiation protection screens, i.e. screens that rest on the ground with casters to facilitate their movement. [Background technology]

[0003] Radiation protection screens are known, in particular from document FR 3 106 273, which comprise a front wall and side walls extending on one or both sides thereof and which rest on the ground by means of castors.

[0004] For example, two casters are attached to the ends of a support member that extends cantilevered from the front side of the screen (opposite the operator's position), and two other casters are attached to the ends of a support device located on the free side of the screen.

[0005] However, to ensure effective protection against ionizing radiation, these screens are made of very dense materials, and therefore they are generally heavy (on the order of several hundred kilograms) and generally very difficult to move, even when they include a rolling base.

[0006] In particular, the corresponding movement operation may be impeded or may involve shaking, especially if one of the casters is not aligned with the thrust axis to the screen. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art, the present invention proposes a screen made of a radiation protection material to ensure protection of the operator against the emission of X-ray species or other types of ionizing radiation, The screen includes a front wall bounded by two sides, at least one of the sides being extended by a side wall; the screen including two free sides, a rear screen surface opposite to which the operator is intended to position himself, and a front screen surface opposite to the rear screen surface; and The screen rests on the ground via a caster base. one of the at least two casters, referred to as a "front caster," is attached to the end of a support member cantilevered from the front side of the screen; and Each of the two other casters is called a "side caster" and is attached to an end of a support device located on one of the free sides; This screen is characterized in that the support devices for the side casters include at least one horizontal connecting rod with two vertical pivot axes for mounting the side casters for rotation about at least two vertical axes.

[0008] Only a slight push is required to initiate screen movement, after which the screen movement is very regular with limited wobbling and jamming, especially when pushing in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of one of the casters.

[0009] Other non-limiting and advantageous characteristics of the screen according to the invention, taken individually or in all technically possible combinations, are:

[0010] According to one embodiment, the support device for the side rollers may include two horizontal connecting rods connected together around vertical pivot axes for rotatably mounting said side rollers around three vertical axes.

[0011] In this case, the support device is - an upper connecting rod comprising: (a) an upper connecting rod upper surface; (b) an upper connecting rod lower surface; (c) a first upper connecting rod cylindrical orifice partially closed at the upper surface side by an upper support ring; and (d) a second upper connecting rod cylindrical orifice partially closed at the bottom by a lower support ring; - a lower connecting rod comprising: (a) a lower connecting rod upper surface; (b) a lower connecting rod lower surface; (c) a lower connecting rod journal extending upwardly from the lower connecting rod upper surface; and (d) a caster axle housing opening to the lower connecting rod lower surface; an upper end piece, comprising a lower journal and an upper journal separated by an upper end piece crown, the lower journal intended to penetrate the first cylindrical orifice of an upper connecting rod, a first rotating structure interposed between a top of the upper bearing crown and a bottom of the upper end piece crown, a second rotating structure disposed in the first cylindrical orifice of the upper connecting rod and abutting the bottom of the upper bearing crown, and locking means provided on the side of the lower surface of the upper connecting rod for assembling the upper end piece to the upper connecting rod; may include said upper journal is intended to enter into a complementary receiving housing provided at the end of a support leg fixed to one of said free sides of the screen; the lower connecting rod journal is intended to enter the second cylindrical orifice of the upper connecting rod, a third bearing structure is interposed between the underside of the lower support ring and the upper surface of the lower connecting rod, a fourth bearing structure is disposed in the second cylindrical orifice of the upper connecting rod and abuts against the upper part of the lower bearing ring, and a removable locking means is provided on the side of the upper surface of the upper connecting rod for assembling the lower connecting rod journal to the upper connecting rod; The caster axle housing of the lower connecting rod is intended to receive a caster journal fixed to an associated caster.

[0012] Further according to the invention, the two axes of the connecting rod(s) of the support device may be spaced apart by a distance of 30 to 100 mm.

[0013] In a particular embodiment of the two connecting rod type support device, the two axes of the upper connecting rod may be spaced apart by a distance of 50 to 80 mm, and the two axes of the lower connecting rod may be spaced apart by a distance of 30 to 50 mm.

[0014] According to another feature, the support device comprises a support leg fixed to one of the free sides of the screen by means of a fixing screw, preferably extending in the plane of the wall of the screen along which it extends.

[0015] On the other hand, the side casters are provided with removable locking means adapted to ensure that they are held in a particular orientation.

[0016] It will be appreciated that the various features, variations and embodiments of the invention can be combined with one another in various ways, provided they are not mutually exclusive and inconsistent.

[0017] Furthermore, various other features of the present invention will become apparent from the accompanying description given with reference to the drawings illustrating non-limiting embodiments of the invention. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a rolling radiation protection screen according to the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the radiation protection screen of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of one of the side casters of the radiation protection screen shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and its support device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the support device for the side caster shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the support device for the side casters shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] The radiation protection screen 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2 is intended to protect the operator against the emission of ionizing radiation.

[0020] This radiation protection screen 1 comprises a front wall 2 bounded by two sides 2', 2'', one of which 2' is extended by a side wall 3 and the other 2'' forms a free side.

[0021] The side wall 3 is bounded by two sides 3', 3'', one of which 3' is extended by the front wall 2 and the other 3'' forms a free side.

[0022] The lower portion 21 of the front wall 2 is fixed to the side wall 3 and is arranged perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the side wall 3 .

[0023] The upper part 22 of the front wall 2 is movable and is mounted on one side of the side wall 3 so as to be pivotable about a vertical axis.

[0024] The upper edge of the top 22 of the front wall 2 and the upper edge of the side wall 3 are extended by additional walls 4 and 5, respectively, which act as ceilings. These two additional walls 4 and 5 are positioned at slightly different heights so that they can overlap during the pivoting of the top 22 of the front wall 2.

[0025] Walls 2 and 3 are made of panels made of suitable radiation protection material, joined and supported by a metal frame that ensures the continuity of radiation protection at all joint heights.

[0026] The front wall 2 and the side walls 3 each include, inter alia: an opaque lower panel 2a, 3a (e.g. made of a wooden panel shielded with lead sheets) and a transparent upper panel 2b, 3b (e.g. made of lead glass or other transparent radiation protection material) to provide forward and lateral visibility to operators working in particular in a medical environment.

[0027] The radiation protection screen 1 comprises two free sides 2'' and 3'', a rear screen surface 1a opposite which an operator is intended to position himself, and a front screen surface 1b opposite to the rear screen surface 1a.

[0028] The radiation protection screen 1 rests on the ground by means of a base 6 provided with casters 7, 8 which give it stability and allow it to be easily moved on the ground by simply rolling it.

[0029] The two casters 7, referred to as the "front" casters 7, are each attached to the end of a support member 7a in the form of a console or post which extends cantilevered forward (i.e. on the side of the front face 1b of the screen) from the lower panels 2a, 3a.

[0030] These two front castors 7 have the advantage of increasing the surface area of ​​the supporting periphery in front of the screen 1, which contributes to optimizing its stability.

[0031] Two further casters 8, called "side casters" 8, are attached to the ends of support devices 9 located at the two free sides 2" and 3" of the screen 1.

[0032] Again, these two lateral castors 8 have the advantage of increasing the surface area of ​​the supporting periphery at the sides of the screen 1, which contributes to optimizing its stability.

[0033] The support devices 9 for these side casters 8 are shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 separately from the screen.

[0034] According to the invention, this support device 9 for the lateral castors 8 comprises at least one horizontal connecting rod with two vertical pivot axes for mounting said lateral castors rotatably about at least two vertical axes, preferably this support device comprises two horizontal connecting rods connected together about vertical pivot axes for mounting said lateral castors rotatably about three vertical axes.

[0035] Such a feature makes it easy to move the radiation protection screen on the ground, even taking into account the generally rather heavy weight of the radiation protection screen, which is of the order of several hundred kilograms (e.g. 100-350 kg).

[0036] The first push to move the screen requires very little force, and the screen then moves very smoothly, with minimal rocking or jamming, especially when pushing parallel to the rotation axis of one of the casters. The screen can also be moved slightly with the side casters fixed.

[0037] As can be seen in Figures 3 to 5, the support device 9 here includes an upper connecting rod 10 and a lower connecting rod 11 connected together about a first vertical axis 12. The upper connecting rod 10 is connected to the end of a support tab 13 fixed to one of the free sides 2'', 3'' of the screen 1 about a second vertical axis 14 offset from the first axis 12. Furthermore, the lower connecting rod 11 and the caster 8 are connected together about a third vertical axis 15 offset from the first vertical axis 12.

[0038] Generally, the two axes of the connecting rods 10, 11 are advantageously spaced apart by a distance of 30 to 100 mm.

[0039] In a particular embodiment, the two axes 12 and 14 of the upper connecting rod 10 are spaced apart by a distance of 50 to 80 mm, and the two axes 12 and 15 of the lower connecting rod 11 are spaced apart by a distance of 30 to 50 mm.

[0040] The various joints 12, 14 and 15 are provided with bearing arrangements to optimise the pivoting ability of the connecting rods 10, 11 and the associated casters 8.

[0041] According to an interesting embodiment, the upper connecting rod 10 comprises: - upper connecting rod top surface 101, - the lower surface 102 of the upper connecting rod; a first cylindrical upper connecting rod orifice 103 (partially closed by an upper support ring 104 on the side of said upper connecting rod upper surface 101), and - A second cylindrical upper connecting rod orifice 105 (partially closed at the bottom by a lower support ring 106).

[0042] Meanwhile, the lower connecting rod 11 includes: - the lower connecting rod upper surface 111, - the lower connecting rod underside 112, a lower connecting rod pin 113 extending upward from the lower connecting rod upper surface 111; and a caster axle housing 114 opening onto the lower connecting rod underside 112;

[0043] In the illustrated embodiment, the caster axle housing 114 is provided primarily within a sleeve 11 a which forms an integral extension of the lower connecting rod lower surface 112 .

[0044] The support device 9 also includes a top piece 16 that includes a lower journal 161 and an upper journal 162 separated by a top piece ring 163 .

[0045] The lower journal 161 is intended to penetrate into a first cylindrical upper connecting rod orifice 103, with a first bearing structure 17 interposed between the upper surface of said upper support ring 104 and the lower surface of said upper end piece ring 163.

[0046] This first bearing structure 17 may be of the thrust ball bearing type.

[0047] Note that the top cap ring 163 has a circular circumferential skirt 163 a which allows for integration and concealment of the rotating structure 17 .

[0048] The second bearing structure 18 is disposed within the first cylindrical upper connecting rod orifice 103 and abuts the lower surface of the upper support ring 104 .

[0049] On the side of the upper connecting rod lower surface 102, a removable locking means 19 is provided for assembling the upper end piece 16 to the upper connecting rod 10. This removable locking means 19 is constituted by (a) an open resilient ring 191 positioned in a complementary circular groove formed in the first cylindrical upper connecting rod orifice 103 and intended to retain the second bearing arrangement 18, and (b) a self-locking notched nut 192 adapted to be screwed onto a complementary thread formed on the end of the lower connecting rod journal 113, with a notched nut washer 193 interposed therebetween.

[0050] The second bearing structure 18 may be of the double row angular contact ball bearing type.

[0051] The upper pin 162 of the top piece 16 is intended to enter a complementary receiving housing 20 provided at the end of a support tab 13 fixed to one of said free sides 2 ″, 3 ″ of the screen 1 .

[0052] The receiving housing 20 is defined by a sleeve 20a which is open at the bottom. An upper journal 162 is immobilized in the receiving housing 20 by means of screws 23, 24 which pass through appropriate orifices made in the sleeve 20a and in the upper journal 162.

[0053] The lower connecting rod journal 113 enters the second cylindrical upper connecting rod orifice 105 with the third bearing structure 25 interposed between the underside of the lower support ring 106 and the lower connecting rod upper surface 111 .

[0054] This third bearing arrangement 25 may be of the thrust ball bearing type.

[0055] A fourth bearing structure 26 is disposed within the second cylindrical upper connecting rod orifice 105 and abuts the upper portion of the lower support ring 106. This fourth bearing structure 26 may be of the double row angular contact ball bearing type.

[0056] On the side of the upper connecting rod upper surface 101, removable locking means 27 are provided for assembling the lower connecting rod journal 113 to said upper connecting rod 10. These removable locking means 27 are constituted by (a) an open elastic ring 271 positioned in a complementary circular groove formed in the second cylindrical upper connecting rod orifice 105 and intended to retain the fourth bearing arrangement 26, and (b) a self-locking notched nut 272 adapted to be screwed onto a complementary thread formed on the end of the lower journal 161 of the upper end piece 16, with a notched nut washer 273 interposed therebetween.

[0057] A protective cover 274 covers the removable locking means 27. This protective cover 274 is fixed to the upper end of the lower connecting rod journal 113 by means of an axial screw 275.

[0058] The caster axle housing 114 defined by the sleeve 11 a of the lower connecting rod 11 is intended to receive a caster journal 28 fixed to the associated caster 8 .

[0059] The caster 8, having a caster journal 28 of known construction, has the ability to pivot about the third vertical axis 15 mentioned above.

[0060] Central locking rolling casters (for example "Linea" model manufactured by TENTE SAS - St Fargeau Ponthierry, France) can be used.

[0061] The caster journals 28 are immobilised in the receiving housing 114 by means of screws 30. Removable locking means 31 are adapted to ensure that the associated caster 8 is held (unable to rotate) in a particular orientation.

[0062] These removable locking means 31 are conventional and well known per se. They include a control pedal 32 for activation / deactivation by foot.

[0063] In particular, it can be seen in Figures 3 to 5 that the side casters 8 are equipped with a conventional cable pushing system 33 to avoid or at least limit the possibility of the screen rolling on the cable on the ground.

[0064] The support tab 13 is fixed (directly or via a dedicated support structure) by means of a fixing screw to one of the free sides 2'', 3'' of the screen 1. This support tab 13 (and / or the dedicated support structure) preferably extends in the plane of the wall (2a, 3a) to which it extends.

[0065] In an alternative embodiment, the support device 9 may include a single horizontal connecting rod for mounting the side casters 8 for rotation about two vertical axes.

[0066] Naturally, other types of radiation protection screens can be equipped with side castors attached to the support device according to the invention.

Claims

1. A screen (1) made of radiation protection material to ensure protection of the operator against the emission of ionizing radiation such as X-rays or others, It comprises a front wall (2) bounded by two sides (2', 2''), at least one of which is extended by a side wall (3); The screen (1) comprises two free sides (2'', 3''), a rear screen surface (1a) opposite to which the operator is intended to position himself, and a front screen surface (1b) opposite to the rear screen surface (1a); and The screen (1) is placed on the ground by a base (6) with casters (7, 8), Each of the at least two casters (7) is called a "front caster" (7) and is attached to the end of a support member (7a) extending cantilevered on the side of the front surface (1b) of the screen; and In a screen (1), each of the two other casters (8) is called a "side caster" (8) and is attached to an end of a support device (9) located on one of the free sides (2", 3"), The screen (1) is characterized in that the support device (9) for the lateral casters (8) comprises at least one horizontal connecting rod (10, 11) with two vertical pivot axes (12, 14) for mounting the lateral casters (8) so that they can rotate about at least two vertical axes (12, 14, 15).

2. 2. A screen (1) made of radiation protection material according to claim 1, characterized in that the support devices (9) of the lateral castors (8) comprise two horizontal connecting rods (10, 11) connected together around a vertical pivot axis (12) for mounting the lateral castors (8) for rotation around three vertical axes (12, 14, 15).

3. The support device (9) an upper connecting rod (10) comprising: (a) an upper connecting rod upper surface (101); (b) an upper connecting rod lower surface (102); (c) a first cylindrical upper connecting rod orifice (103) partially closed at the side of said upper connecting rod upper surface (101) by an upper support ring (104); and (d) a second cylindrical upper connecting rod orifice (105) partially closed at the bottom by a lower support ring (106); a lower connecting rod (11) comprising: (a) a lower connecting rod upper surface (111); (b) a lower connecting rod lower surface (112); (c) a lower connecting rod journal (113) extending upward from said lower connecting rod upper surface (111); and (d) a caster axle housing (114) opening onto said lower connecting rod lower surface (112); an upper end piece (16) comprising a lower journal (161) and an upper journal (162) separated by an upper end piece ring (163), said lower journal (161) intended to penetrate said first cylindrical upper connecting rod orifice (103), a first bearing structure (17) interposed between the top of said upper bearing ring (104) and the bottom of said upper end piece ring (163), a second bearing structure (18) arranged in said first cylindrical upper connecting rod orifice (103) and abutting the bottom of said upper bearing ring (104), and removable locking means (19) provided on the side of said upper connecting rod lower surface (102) for assembling said upper end piece (16) to said upper connecting rod (10); Including, said upper pin (162) is intended to enter a complementary receiving housing (20) provided at the end of a support tab (13) fixed to one of said free sides (2'', 3'') of said screen (1); the lower connecting rod journal (113) is intended to penetrate the second cylindrical upper connecting rod orifice (105), a third bearing structure (25) is interposed between the underside of the lower bearing ring (106) and the lower connecting rod upper surface (111), a fourth bearing structure (26) is arranged in the second cylindrical upper connecting rod orifice (105) and abuts the upper part of the lower bearing ring (106), and removable locking means (27) are provided on the side of the upper connecting rod upper surface (101) for assembling the lower connecting rod journal (113) to the upper connecting rod (10), 3. A screen (1) made of radiation protection material according to claim 2, characterized in that the caster axle housing (114) of the lower connecting rod (11) is intended to receive a caster journal (28) fixed to the associated caster (8).

4. A screen (1) made of radiation protection material according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the two axes (12-14, 12-15) of the one or more connecting rods (10, 11) are separated by a distance of 30 to 100 mm.

5. A screen (1) made of radiation protection material according to claim 4 when dependent on claim 2, characterized in that the two axes (12, 14) of the upper connecting rod (10) are spaced apart by a distance of 50 to 80 mm, and the two axes (12, 15) of the lower connecting rod (11) are spaced apart by a distance of 30 to 50 mm.

6. A screen (1) made of radiation protection material according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the support device (9) comprises a support tab (13) fixed to one of the free sides (2'', 3'') by means of a fixing screw.

7. 7. A screen (1) made of radiation protection material according to claim 6, characterized in that the support tabs (13) extend in the plane of the walls (2a, 3a) along which they extend.

8. A screen (1) made of radiation protection material according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the lateral rollers (8) are provided with removable locking means (31) adapted to ensure that they are maintained in a defined orientation.

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