Tomographic apparatus and method and computer program for model-based positioning

The tomographic apparatus of the invention comprises a pickup unit with a central system axis, a movable patient support along the system axis, and a radiation source and a cooperating with the radiation source radiation detector. The inventors have recognized that a fast, accurate and reliable positioning of a first recording area can be achieved in that the positioning is based on a trained model, wherein the model has been trained with training positions. The tomographic apparatus therefore comprises a calculation unit, which is designed for determining a first position of the first receiving portion relative to the receiving unit based on the trained model. Further, the tomographic apparatus comprises a control unit for positioning the first recording area in the first position by moving the patient table relative to the receiving unit, wherein the tomographic apparatus is adapted to a first tomographic image of the first receiving area in the first position.