Camera Lens Assembly with GigE Vision for Radiology Imaging Systems

What do you do when a great solution is just not the perfect fit? Adimec developed one of the best CLAs in the world. It is a compact and cost effective solution for fluoroscopy,
adimec-pearl-cla surgery, universal RF, and Cardio-vascular applications. It provides excellent image quality while reducing the radiation doses patients are exposed to. Unfortunately it didn’t fit to Apelem’s system because it did not have the right interface. Together with Apelem we created a Camera Lens Assembly with the GigE Vision interface for their imaging systems used for digital radiology and bone densitometry. Here’s the story…

The situation
The DMS Group specializes in high technology solutions that serve the needs of the diagnostic medical imaging community. The Group, which includes the two companies, DMS and Apelem, is the French leader in the design, manufacturing and distribution of imaging systems dedicated to conventional and digital radiology as well as to bone densitometry.

For a system upgrade of one of their remote-controlled radiology tables, Apelem were searching for a new high resolution CCD TV camera which had similar or better performance. Designing a new CCD camera into an existing medical system is very complex since it has a critical purpose and a high level of reliability and performance is required. Therefore they were looking for a flexible solution from a company that could provide the required quality and (design-in) support.

The solution
Adimec brought its extensive knowledge of medical X-ray imaging into a close collaboration project with the design team of Apelem. The starting point was the PEARL X-ray camera, which encompasses over 20 years of experience in medical imaging. With a comprehensive list of modular options, it fits into every (medical) X-ray imaging chain, supporting a wide range of X-ray applications at the right cost level. During the initial cooperation, the complex closed loop imaging system was jointly optimized and now covers a wide range of X-ray diagnostic methods, including Stand Alone Imaging Solutions and Surgical C-arms. This improvement created extra value for the end-user.

The only missing link was the video interface of the PEARL series. Apelem required a future-ready modular interface to receive images and communicate between the system and the camera. Although other camera manufactures offered a camera with an acceptable interface, Apelem chose Adimec because of its image quality, technical support, logistics support, customization capabilities and spotless track record. While a GigE Vision interface was designed on the PEARL camera especially for Apelem, the situation was temporarily solved by using a converter closely integrated in the imaging module. By using the same GigE Vision interface technology on the final camera as that on the converter, a smooth final design-in was realized.

The result
The joint effort resulted in a system with a high level of reliability with a better performance than the previous version at an equal price level. This upgraded remote-controlled radiology table is already operational and shipped to radiologists worldwide who are able to perform better diagnostics at low X-ray doses.

For the detailed specifications of the PEARL Camera Lens Assembly, click below: