Patient positioning device

Abstract

To provide a patient positioning device that is assembled easily and can be used in an environment accompanied by an ionization radiation.SOLUTION: A patient positioning device (1) particularly for a boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) includes a robot arm and a patient reception part (3) held by the robot arm. The patient positioning device includes a housing device (4) for the robot arm. The housing device includes at least one housing unit (17,18,19) for surrounding the robot arm at least partially. The housing unit is fixed to the robot arm. The patient positioning device includes a shield for an ionization radiation. At least part of the shield is provided to the housing unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a patient positioning device in the form described in the pre-concept of claim 1.

Background Art

[0002] From the following Patent Document 1 (EP 1 985 237 A1), a patient positioning device having a robotic arm and a patient receiving part held by the robotic arm is known.

[0003] In the irradiation of tumor tissue, ionizing radiation is used. In particular, the radiation used in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is very aggressive and particularly damages electronic components. In order to protect electronic components from ionizing radiation, commercially available shielding devices (shielding devices) in the form of, for example, plates or foils are known.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The problem underlying the present invention is to create a patient positioning device of the above-described form that can be used in an environment with ionizing radiation and is easily assembled.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The above problem is solved by a patient positioning device having the features of claim 1.

[0007] The robotic arm used in a patient positioning device is often not a special one made for patient positioning, but an ordinary robotic arm used in industrial production. Such a robotic arm does not have a shield (shielding material) against ionizing radiation. Nevertheless, in order to make such a robotic arm usable for a patient positioning device, the present invention defines a housing device for a robotic arm, which includes at least one housing unit that at least partially surrounds the robotic arm. The housing unit is fixed to the robotic arm. The housing unit thus moves together with the robotic arm during operation. The patient positioning device has a shield against ionizing radiation, and at least a part of the shield is arranged in the housing unit. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is defined that the shield is not arranged directly on the robotic arm itself, but on the housing unit that at least partially surrounds the robotic arm.

[0008] Since the shield is arranged not on the robotic arm but on the housing unit surrounding the robotic arm, the shield can be arranged at least partially at a distance from the robotic arm. This is particularly advantageous in the region of the drive unit that gets hot during operation. Due to this distance, on the one hand, damage to the shield caused by heat is prevented, and on the other hand, sufficient air circulation can be ensured around the hot part of the robotic arm, for example around the drive unit.

[0009] Since the shield is not directly disposed on the robotic arm, a shield configuration having a shape different from that of the robotic arm is possible. The shape of the housing unit can be adapted to the requirements of the shield shape. At least one housing unit can be configured such that the shield can be easily attached to the housing unit, for example, in the form of a foil or in the form of one or more plates. Further, the housing unit preferably has a soft transition part and has a smooth shape without edges or with few edges. A shape having a large surface is particularly advantageous for attaching the shield. For example, a shape conforming to a rectangular parallelepiped with rounded corners, a frustum of a cone, a frustum of a pyramid with rounded corners, a sphere, an ellipsoid, a hemisphere, a cylinder, or other geometric basic shapes is advantageous.

[0010] Advantageously, the housing unit includes at least one removable cover. Advantageously, at least a part of the shield is held in the cover and is removable together with the cover. Thereby, the housing unit can be configured such that the components of the robotic arm to be serviced or repaired are easily accessible by removing the cover. Since the shield is held in the cover and is removable together with the cover, damage to the shield during maintenance work on the robotic arm, for example, is reliably avoided. Thereby, a long service life is made possible for a shield that is usually extremely expensive. Since the shield is not directly disposed on the robotic arm, that is, for example, the shield is not adhered to the robotic arm, but instead is at least partially removable together with the cover of the housing unit, it is avoided that the shield is damaged during maintenance work or repair work and thereby has to be partially or completely replaced.

[0011] In an advantageous configuration, all parts of the shield for the robotic arm are fixed to the housing device. Preferably, all sections (sectional parts) of the housing device are provided with a shield, and in particular, the interior is completely lined with a shield.

[0012] In an advantageous configuration, the shield is disposed on the inner surface of the housing unit. Thereby, the shield is protected from external mechanical influences and thus from possible damage associated therewith.

[0013] Advantageously, the robotic arm has a plurality of sections that are movable relative to each other. In an advantageous configuration, each section of the robotic arm is provided with a separate housing unit. Thereby, the housing unit can move together with each respective section of the robotic arm, and in a simple manner, it is prevented that the area of the robotic arm protrudes from the housing device during the movement of the robotic arm and is thereby exposed to ionizing radiation.

[0014] If at least one housing unit has a basic body fixed to a section of a robotic arm and a cover removably held by the basic body, a simple structure can be obtained. At this time, a plurality of basic bodies and / or a plurality of covers can also be provided. It can also be defined that the basic body and / or the cover are assembled from a plurality of components fixedly coupled to each other. To fix the basic body to the robotic arm, in an advantageous configuration, the screw fixing points (screw tightening locations) provided in the robotic arm anyway are utilized, whereby the fixing of at least one basic body to the robotic arm is possible in a simple manner. The basic body is preferably configured such that it does not need to be removed during normal maintenance work or repair work. Thereby, for fixing the basic body to the robotic arm, a fixing structure that is troublesome to remove is considered. The fixing structure of the basic body in the robotic arm can advantageously be disposed partially or completely within the housing internal space of the housing unit. The fixing structure of the basic body in the robotic arm can include, for example, a curved member or a clamp profiled member extending within the housing internal space. The cover is preferably fixed to the basic body via fixing means that are easily accessible from the outside. At this time, the position of the fixing means can be selected such that good accessibility is provided, because the position of the fixing means of the cover on the basic body does not depend on the position of the screw fixing points possible with the robotic arm.

[0015] To simplify the attachment of the cover to the basic body, it is preferably defined that at least one housing unit has means for positioning the cover relative to the basic body. In an advantageous configuration, the means for positioning the cover relative to the basic body is constituted by a circumferential edge. Also, as means for positioning the cover relative to the basic body, individual positioning pins, insertion slopes, etc. can also be provided. Also, other structural configurations of the means for positioning the cover relative to the basic body can be advantageous.

[0016] Advantageously, at least one housing unit is provided with at least a partially cushioning layer. Such a cushioning layer can be provided in particular to prevent damage when the robotic arm collides with other objects. An advantageous configuration is obtained in particular when the cushioning layer is arranged outside the shield, i.e., when the shield is closer to the interior space of the housing than the cushioning layer. Thereby, the cushioning effect of the cushioning layer is not changed or impaired by the shield.

[0017] Advantageously, the cushioning layer is held in the support structure of the housing unit. The support structure is preferably the inner shell of the housing unit. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the shield is arranged on the inner surface of the inner shell and the cushioning layer is arranged on the outer surface of the inner shell. Also, for example, other configurations of the support structure in the form of individual ribs or a lattice structure can be advantageous. In an advantageous configuration, the cushioning layer is covered by an outer covering. Thereby, the desired appearance of the patient positioning device is achieved. Advantageously, the cushioning layer contains an elastic cushioning material. The cushioning material can be, for example, a foam material. The cushioning layer can alternatively or additionally include one or more gas-filled cushions. The cushioning effect of at least one gas-filled cushion is achieved by the enclosed gas. The enclosed gas is in particular air. The enclosed gas can be used simultaneously as a contact sensor, for example, by measuring pressure fluctuations of the gas. The outer covering can form part of the cushion surrounding the gas. However, it can also be defined that the gas is arranged within the cushion and the cushion is covered by the outer covering.

[0018] Particularly preferably, at least one contact sensor is disposed within the buffer layer. The contact sensor generates a corresponding signal, for example, when the buffer layer is pressed due to an unwanted contact with an object, and accordingly controls the robotic arm, for example, to switch it off. Particularly preferably, a large number of contact sensors are disposed within the buffer layer. These contact sensors preferably have a distance of less than 10 cm from each other at any location on the buffer layer. Thereby, an in-plane contact in some cases can be detected in a simple manner.

[0019] The robotic arm is preferably a robotic arm having at least five rotational movement axes, particularly at least six rotational movement axes. The robotic arm advantageously has a basic support frame, a carousel (rotating mechanism) rotatably provided around a first rotational movement axis on the basic support frame, a swinging arm rotatably provided around a second rotational movement axis on the carousel, an arm rotatably provided on the swinging arm, and a hand provided on the arm. The hand preferably has three rotational movement axes. However, other configurations of the robotic arm may also be advantageous.

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021]

Figure 1

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Figure 16

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0022] FIGS. 1 and 2 show a patient positioning device 1. Such a patient positioning device 1 is used to position a patient with respect to an irradiation device. The radiation emitted by the irradiation device is radiation by ionizing radiation in particular. Such an irradiation device is used particularly for tumor treatment. Particularly preferably, the irradiation device is an irradiation device for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT - Boron Neutron Capture Therapy). The patient positioning device 1 includes a robot arm 2 (FIG. 6) that supports a patient receiving portion (patient support) 3. In the present embodiment, the patient receiving portion 3 is a patient bed. Also, the patient receiving portion 3 may be configured in other forms, for example, as a seat. In the present embodiment, the patient positioning device 1 is fixed to the space ceiling portion 40. Fixing to the floor may also be advantageous.

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the robot arm 2 is surrounded by the housing device 4. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing device 4 is shown in its complete state, and in FIGS. 3 to 6, it is partially cut away, thereby allowing the robot arm 2 disposed within the housing device 4 to be viewed. As shown in FIG. 3, the robot arm 2 is directly held at the spatial ceiling portion 40. Also, in an alternative embodiment, it can be defined that the robot arm 2 is fixed to a linear axis (linear actuator) held at the spatial ceiling portion 40. The linear axis constitutes a linear motion device that moves the entire robot arm 2 along a predetermined spatial axis, preferably along a horizontal spatial axis. Thereby, the movement area of the patient positioning device 1 is expanded. A linear axis disposed on the floor portion may also be advantageous. Other linear motion devices can also be provided. When the robot arm 2 is held in the linear motion device, the robot arm 2 can be positioned such that the ionizing radiation hitting the robot arm 2 during radiotherapy is minimized.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the robot arm 2 has a basic support frame 5. Further, the robot arm 2 has a carousel (rotating mechanism) 6, a swinging arm 7, an arm 8, and a hand 9. The hand 9 has a fixed flange 10 to which the patient receiving portion 3 is fixed.

[0025] The basic support frame 5 can be fixed to the spatial ceiling part 40 or alternatively to a predetermined straight axis or to the floor part of the space. The carousel 6 is rotatably provided around the first rotation axis 11 on the basic support frame 5. In this embodiment, the first rotation axis 11 is oriented in the vertical direction. The carousel 6 is rotatably provided with a swing arm 7 around the second rotation axis 12. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the second rotation axis 12 is oriented in the horizontal direction in this embodiment. The swing arm 7 is configured to be vertically long. One end of the swing arm 7 is provided with the second rotation axis 12, and the second end of the swing arm 7 is provided with the third rotation axis 13. In this embodiment, the third rotation axis 13 extends parallel to the second rotation axis 12. The third rotation axis 13 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is rotatably provided with the arm 8 (FIGS. 4 and 6) of the robot arm 2. The arm 8 is configured to be vertically long and is rotatably provided around the third rotation axis 13 on the swing arm 7 in the region of the first end. The arm 8 supports the hand 9 in the region of the other end. The hand 9 is rotatably provided around the fourth rotation axis 14 on the arm 8 as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 8. In this embodiment, the fourth rotation axis 14 is oriented in the longitudinal direction of the arm 8. The hand 9 has a fifth rotation axis 15, the fifth rotation axis 15 is oriented at a right angle to the fourth rotation axis 14, and further has a sixth rotation axis 16, the sixth rotation axis 16 extending at a right angle to the fifth rotation axis 15. The hand 9 has a fixing flange 10 that can be seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, and the patient receiving part 3 is fixed to the fixing flange 10 as shown in FIG. 6.

[0026] The base support frame 5, the carousel 6, the swing arm portion 7, the arm 8, and the hand 9 constitute mutually movable sections (sectional parts) of the robot arm 2. The housing device 4 includes a plurality of housing units 17 to 22 that surround different sections of the robot arm 2. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, a first housing unit 17 that surrounds the base support frame 5 is provided. The second housing unit 18 surrounds the carousel 6. The third housing unit 19 surrounds the swing arm portion 7. The fourth housing unit 20 surrounds the arm 8. The fifth housing unit 21 surrounds the hand 9. The sixth housing unit 22 surrounds the fixed flange 10. Therefore, different housing units 17 to 22 are provided in the housing device 4 for the mutually movable sections of the robot arm 2. These housing units 17 to 22 are configured such that the movement of the robot arm 2 is not obstructed by the housing units 17 to 22. At the same time, the housing units 17 to 22 are configured such that the robot arm 2 is sufficiently surrounded, particularly completely surrounded, by the housing device 4 at any location of the robot arm 2. Ionizing radiation can preferably reach the robot arm 2 only through the housing device 4. The housing units 17 to 22 do not completely surround the sections of the robot arm 2 respectively. That is, the housing units 17 to 22 have openings, and the sections of the robot arm 2 are connected to each other through these openings.

[0027] FIG. 9 shows the housing device 4 in detail. Here, the housing units 17 and 22 are not shown.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 9, the housing unit 18 has a basic body 23 and a cover 24. The cover 24 is preferably fixed to the basic body 23 using fixing screws (or fixing bolts) 26. Thereby, the cover 24 can be removed. The basic body 23 is preferably fixed to the robot arm 2 itself. The housing unit 19 surrounding the swing arm 7 also has a basic body 23 and a cover 24. The basic body 23 is fixed to the robot arm 2, for example, using fixing screws 37. The fixing screws 37 are preferably screwed into a screwing point (screw fixing point) provided on the robot arm 2 anyway. The fixing screws 26 are respectively arranged adjacent to the two fixing screws 25 in the basic body 23.

[0029] In this embodiment, within the housing unit 19, a fixing bar 36 as can be seen in Fig. 11 extends, and the fixing screws 25 and 26 are screwed into this fixing bar 36. Thereby, the cover 24 is fixed to the basic body 23. Other fixing structures of the cover 24 in the basic body 23, for example, a fixing structure by fixing screws screwed into the base body 23, or a fixing structure via other fixing means, may also be advantageous.

[0030] The housing units 20 and 21 are respectively assembled from a basic body 23 and a cover 24 in a corresponding manner. The cover 24 is respectively arranged such that components to be maintained of the robot arm 2, such as, for example, an electric drive unit, a cable connection part, etc., can be well accessed after the removal of the cover 24.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 10, the housing unit 19 surrounding the oscillating arm 7 is composed of two shells in this embodiment. Both of those shells of the basic body 23 surround the bearing locations where the oscillating arm 7 is pivotally provided on the carousel 6 to the arm 8. The cover 24 of the third housing unit 19 and the cover 24 of the fourth housing unit 20 surrounding the arm 8 are mounted on the corresponding basic body 23 from the sides facing each other. The sixth housing unit 22 (FIG. 1) surrounding the fixed flange 10 can be formed integrally with the cover 24 of the fifth housing unit 21 or formed separately. The sixth housing unit 22 is preferably not assembled from the basic body and the cover, but is completely removable together with the cover 24 of the fifth housing unit 21. Advantageously, at least the housing units 18, 19, 20 surrounding the carousel 6, the oscillating arm 7, and the arm 8 are each assembled from the basic body 23 and the cover 24.

[0032] As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 11, the robot arm 2 has a spacing a from the housing device 4 over the entire circumference in the cross-sectional view in which the cross-section of the arm 8 of the robot arm 2 is shown. At this time, this spacing is advantageously not constant over the circumference. There is a spacing from the housing device 4 at any location on the circumference of the arm 8 of the robot arm 2. At this time, this spacing a may be extremely small, for example, in the region of the robot arm 2 shown on the right side in the drawing. However, the housing device 4 does not contact the robot arm 2 here either. The robot arm 2 has a relatively irregular outer contour, and this outer contour also has sharp edges. In contrast, the housing device 4 is formed with rounded edges and straight or curved contours. The housing unit 20 has a housing wall 34 surrounding the housing internal space 38. The arm 8 of the robot arm 2 is disposed in the housing internal space 38. As also shown in FIG. 11, the housing wall 34 of the housing unit 20 is composed of a plurality of shells. The other housing units 17 - 19, 21, 22 of the housing device 4 are also assembled correspondingly. The housing units 17 - 22 each have an inner shell 27. In this embodiment, the inner shell 27 forms the support structure of the housing units 17 - 22. In this embodiment, the inner shell 27 is configured to be closed except for the openings in the housing wall 34 that are used as passage openings for connecting the sections of the robot arm 2 to each other. However, a rib-shaped configuration of the support structure can also be used. The housing wall 34 of the housing device 40 has an outer covering 29. The outer covering 29 is configured to be extremely thin in this embodiment and is advantageously elastic. A buffer layer 28 is disposed between the inner shell 27 and the outer covering 29, and the components of the buffer layer 28 are not shown in FIG. 11.

[0033] Figure 12 schematically shows the arrangement of the robot arm 2 within the housing device 4 in the view of the arm 8. The robot arm 2 has a spacing a from the housing wall 34 on all sides. At this time, as shown in the figure, the spacing a can be of different sizes at different locations on the periphery of the robot arm 2. Due to the presence of the spacing a on all sides, the robot arm 2 does not contact the housing wall 34 at any location. The housing wall 34 surrounds the housing internal space 38. In the housing internal space 38, in this embodiment, a cable harness 32 extends alongside the arm 8. The cable harness 32 can include, for example, a cable for power supply, such as a cable for supplying power to an electric drive unit or a sensor, or a data line for transmitting sensor signals. As schematically shown in Figure 12, a shield (shielding material) 33 is disposed on the inner surface 39 of the housing unit 20 that defines the housing internal space 38. The shield 33 is used for shielding against ionizing radiation. Such a shield can be configured, for example, as a foil. Also, a shield in the form of a plate or the like can be provided. The shield 33 is fixedly coupled to the housing device 4. At this time, a predetermined portion of the shield 33 is fixed to the basic body 23, and another predetermined portion of the shield 33 is fixed to the cover 24. In a particularly advantageous configuration, the shield 33 is adhesively attached to the basic body 23 and the cover 24 in a planar manner.

[0034] FIG. 13 shows the structure of the housing wall 34 in detail. The housing wall 34 is assembled from the inside out, consisting of a shield 33, an inner shell 27, a buffer layer 28, and an outer covering 29. A buffer material 30 is disposed within the buffer layer 28. The buffer material 30 can be constituted by, for example, a foam element. Advantageously, a contact sensor 31 extends between adjacent portions of the buffer material 30. The contact sensor 31 can be implemented, for example, as a switching strip (Schaltleiste). The shield 33 is disposed on the inner surface 39 of the housing wall 34. The thickness d of the buffer layer 28 is advantageously relatively large. The thickness d of the buffer layer 28 can be, for example, a value from 0.5 cm to 15 cm. The thickness d of the buffer layer 28 is particularly a value from 0.5 cm to 3 cm. The thickness d of the buffer layer 28 is advantageously adapted to the moving speed of the robot arm 2, and in this case, a large thickness d is advantageous for a large moving speed. The outer covering 29 is advantageously elastic, so that even if the buffering effect of the buffer layer 28 is reduced by the outer covering 29, it is only slightly reduced. When the outer covering 29 comes into contact with an object, the buffer layer 28 is pressed. The buffer layer 28 buffers the force exerted on the object. When in contact with an object, at least one contact sensor 31 switches. Thereby, the contact is recognized by the patient positioning device 1, and accordingly, the robot arm 2 can be controlled, for example, to stop. Since the shield 33 is disposed on the inner surface 39 of the housing wall 34, the shield 33 does not change the buffering characteristics of the buffer layer 28. The shield 33 is simultaneously protected from mechanical influences, thereby avoiding damage to the shield 33.

[0035] In an alternative embodiment, it is provided that the buffer layer 28 includes one or more gas-filled cushions, in particular air cushions, which provide a buffering effect. These cushions can be covered by an outer covering 29. Alternatively, the outer-facing part of the cushion can constitute the outer covering 29. In a preferred configuration, the pressure within the cushion is monitored and evaluated in order to detect contact between the object and the cushion. Thereby, at least one cushion constitutes a contact sensor. A combination of a gas-filled cushion and a buffer material can also be advantageous.

[0036] To ensure that any contact of the housing device 4 is recognized, the distance b between adjacent contact sensors 31 preferably takes a value smaller than 10 cm, in particular a value smaller than 5 cm.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 11, the basic body 23 has a circumferential edge 35, and the edge 35 extends into a corresponding recess in the cover 24. Thereby, the cover 24 can be well positioned and pre-fixed to the basic body 23. Thereby, the assembly is simplified.

[0038] FIGS. 14 to 16 show different variations of the fixing structure of the basic body 23 in the robot arm 2. In the embodiment according to FIG. 14, a curved member 41 is provided, and the curved member 41 is fixed to the basic body 23 using its end portion. The curved member 41 can be, for example, screwed to the basic body 23 or adhered to the basic body 23. The curved member 41 is screwed to the robot arm 2 via one or more fixing screws 42. Thereby, the curved member 41 fixes the basic body 23 to the robot arm 2.

[0039] In the embodiment according to FIG. 15, the clamp-shaped member 43 is fixed to the basic body 23, for example, by adhesion or screwing. The clamp-shaped member 43 grips the robot arm 2 at least partially on the sides facing each other. Thereby, the robot arm 2 is fixedly coupled to the clamp-shaped member 43 in a form-fitting manner. In addition, the clamp-shaped member 43 can also be screwed to the robot arm 2, particularly to ensure secure clamping fixation.

[0040] The embodiment according to FIG. 16 shows a configuration in which two curved members 41 are arranged on the basic body 23 on the sides of the robot arm 2 facing each other. The robot arm 2 is clamped and held between both curved members 41. Additionally, additional fixation via one or more fixing screws can also be advantageous. The curved members 41 can be fixed to the basic body 23 by adhesion or using screws. It can also be defined that the curved members 41 are elastically held in the basic body 23 based on their self-stress. Other fixing structures for fixing the basic body 23 to the robot arm 2 can also be advantageous.

[0041] In this embodiment, the configuration of the housing unit 20 is illustrated in detail. The other housing units 17, 18, 19, 21 are also preferably configured correspondingly. The sixth housing unit 22 can also be configured correspondingly. The structure of the housing wall 34 is preferably the same in all housing units of the housing device 4. Regarding the fixing structure of the basic body 23 in the robot arm 2, all the fixing variations described are considered in all housing units 17 to 22. Other forms of fixing structures can also be advantageous.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0042] 1 Patient positioning device 2 Robot arm 3 Patient receiving part 4 Housing device 5 Basic support frame 6 carousel 7 swing arm part 8 arm 9 hand 10 fixed flange 11 first rotational axis of motion 12 second rotational axis of motion 13 third rotational axis of motion 14 fourth rotational axis of motion 15 fifth rotational axis of motion 16 sixth rotational axis of motion 17 first housing unit 18 second housing unit 19 third housing unit 20 fourth housing unit 21 fifth housing unit 22 sixth housing unit 23 basic body 24 cover 25 fixing screw 26 fixing screw 27 inner shell 28 buffer layer 29 outer covering part 30 buffer material 31 contact sensor 32 cable harness 33 shield 34 housing wall part 35 circumferential edge 36 fixing bar 37 fixing screw 38 inner space of housing 39 inner surface 40 ceiling part of space 41 curved member 42 fixing screw 43 clamp deformed material a distance between the robot arm 2 and the housing wall 34 b distance between adjacent contact sensors 31 d thickness of the buffer layer 28

Claims

1. A patient positioning device, particularly for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), comprising a robotic arm (2) and a patient receiving part (3) held by the robotic arm (2), wherein the patient positioning device (1) comprises a housing device (4) for the robotic arm (2), which housing device (4) includes at least one housing unit (17, 18, 19, 20, 21) that at least partially surrounds the robotic arm (2), and the housing unit (17, 18, 19, 20, 21) is fixed to the robotic arm (2), and the patient positioning device (1) has a shield (33) against ionizing radiation, and at least a part of the shield (33) is disposed in the housing unit (17, 18, 19, 20, 21), and the robotic arm (2) has a plurality of sections movable relative to each other, and each section is provided with a separate housing unit (17, 18, 19, 20, 21). A patient positioning device characterized by the above.

2. The housing unit (17, 18, 19, 20, 21) includes at least one removable cover (24), and at least a part of the shield (33) is held in the cover (24) and is removable together with the cover (24). The patient positioning device according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

3. All parts of the shield (33) for the robotic arm (2) are fixed to the housing device (4). The patient positioning device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the above.

4. The shield (33) is disposed on the inner surface (39) of the housing unit (17, 18, 19, 20, 21). The patient positioning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by the above.

5. At least one housing unit (17, 18, 19, 20, 21) has a basic body (23) fixed to the section and a cover (24) removably held by the basic body (23). The patient positioning device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by the above.

6. At least one housing unit (17, 18, 19, 20, 21) has means for positioning the cover (24) relative to the basic body (23), in particular having a circumferential edge The patient positioning device according to claim 5, characterized in that

7. At least one housing unit (17, 18, 19, 20, 21) is at least partially provided with a buffer layer (28) The patient positioning device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that

8. The buffer layer (28) is held in the support structure of the housing unit (17, 18, 19, 20, 21), in particular held in the inner shell (27) of the housing unit (17, 18, 19, 20, 21) The patient positioning device according to claim 7, characterized in that

9. The buffer layer (28) is covered by an outer covering (29) The patient positioning device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that

10. The buffer layer (28) contains an elastic buffer material The patient positioning device according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that

11. At least one contact sensor (31) is arranged in the buffer layer (28), in particular a large number of contact sensors (31) are arranged The patient positioning device according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that

12. The robot arm (2) has at least five rotational movement axes (11, 12, 14, 15, 16) The patient positioning device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that

13. The robot arm (2) has a basic support frame (5), a carousel (6) rotatably provided around a first rotational movement axis (11) on the basic support frame (5), a swing arm (7) rotatably provided around a second rotational movement axis (12) on the carousel (6), an arm (8) rotatably provided on the swing arm (7), and a hand (9) held on the arm (8), and the hand (9) has three rotational movement axes (14, 15, 16) The patient positioning device according to claim 12, characterized in that

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