Radiation detector and scanner
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A system operable for detecting radiation, the system comprising:
- an imager comprising a first planar array of pixels; and
a plurality of scintillators;
wherein each scintillator has a length, height and a width;
wherein each scintillator has a first end opposite from a second end on a longitudinal axis of the scintillator and that are separated by a distance that is the length of the scintillator;
wherein the length of each scintillator is greater than its respective width such that each scintillator is a rectangular cuboid;
wherein each scintillator has a first surface at its first end that is transverse to its respective longitudinal axis and that is configured to receive an incoming radiation beam;
wherein the scintillators are coupled to the imager such that the respective longitudinal axes of the scintillators are parallel to each other;
wherein an incoming radiation beam, that enters the scintillators through their respective first surfaces is converted by the scintillators into light that is received by respective subsets of the first planar array of pixels;
wherein the imager generates signals in response to the light that is received by the subsets of the first planar array of pixels; and
wherein the system is configured such that only a subset of the signals is sampled per sample interval and the subset of signals corresponds to less than all of the pixels that receive the light.
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Abstract
A system operable for detecting radiation to scan an object includes scintillators that have respective lengths that are greater than their respective widths and an imager that has a planar array of pixels. The scintillators are coupled to the imager with their respective longitudinal axes parallel to each other. An incoming radiation beam that has passed through the object enters the scintillators through respective surfaces of the scintillators that are transverse to the longitudinal axes, and is converted by the scintillators into light that is received by respective subsets of the planar array of pixels.
2 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system operable for detecting radiation, the system comprising:
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an imager comprising a first planar array of pixels; and a plurality of scintillators; wherein each scintillator has a length, height and a width; wherein each scintillator has a first end opposite from a second end on a longitudinal axis of the scintillator and that are separated by a distance that is the length of the scintillator; wherein the length of each scintillator is greater than its respective width such that each scintillator is a rectangular cuboid; wherein each scintillator has a first surface at its first end that is transverse to its respective longitudinal axis and that is configured to receive an incoming radiation beam; wherein the scintillators are coupled to the imager such that the respective longitudinal axes of the scintillators are parallel to each other; wherein an incoming radiation beam, that enters the scintillators through their respective first surfaces is converted by the scintillators into light that is received by respective subsets of the first planar array of pixels; wherein the imager generates signals in response to the light that is received by the subsets of the first planar array of pixels; and wherein the system is configured such that only a subset of the signals is sampled per sample interval and the subset of signals corresponds to less than all of the pixels that receive the light. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A system for scanning an object, the system comprising:
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a plurality of detectors, each of the detectors operable for receiving a radiation beam that is generated by a source and that travels a path that passes through the object, wherein each of the detectors comprises; an imager comprising rows and columns of pixels arrayed on a planar surface; a plurality of scintillators coupled to the imager; wherein each scintillator has a length, height and a width; wherein each scintillator has a first end opposite from a second end on a longitudinal axis of the scintillator and that are separated by a distance that is the length of the scintillator; wherein the length of each scintillator is greater than its respective width such that each scintillator is a rectangular cuboid; wherein each scintillator has a first surface at its first end that is transverse to its respective longitudinal axis and that is configured to receive an incoming radiation beam; wherein the scintillators are coupled to the imager with their respective longitudinal axes parallel to each other and parallel to the path of the radiation beam; wherein the radiation beam enters the scintillators through their respective first surfaces and is converted by the scintillators into light that is received by respective subsets of the first planar array of pixels at the imager; and wherein the pixels that receive the light generate signals in response thereto; and circuitry coupled to the imager that converts the signals generated by the pixels into electrical signals; wherein the system is configured such that only a subset of the signals is sampled per sample interval and the subset of signals corresponds to less than all of the pixels that receive the light. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for scanning an object, the method comprising:
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receiving, at a plurality of scintillators, an incoming radiation beam that has passed through the object; wherein each scintillator has a first end opposite from a second end on a longitudinal axis of the scintillator and that are separated by a distance that is the length of the scintillator; wherein each scintillator has a length, height and a width; wherein the length of each scintillator is greater than its respective width such that each scintillator is a rectangular cuboid; wherein each scintillator has a first surface at its first end that is transverse to its respective longitudinal axis and that is configured to receive an incoming radiation beam; wherein the plurality of scintillators are coupled to an imager with their respective longitudinal axes parallel to each other; wherein the incoming radiation beam enters the scintillators through their respective first surfaces; wherein the imager comprises pixels; and wherein the radiation beam is converted by the scintillators into light; receiving the light from the scintillators at subsets of the pixels at the imager; and converting the light into electrical signals; and sampling, per sample interval, only a subset of the electrical signals, which corresponds to less than all of the pixels that receive the light, to generate information about the object. - View Dependent Claims (16, 18, 19, 20)
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17. The method of 16,
wherein the rows and columns of pixels comprise a first array of rows and columns of the pixels and a second array of rows and columns of the pixels, wherein the second array is separated from the first array by light-reflective material, wherein the scintillators traverse the first array, the light-reflective material, and the second array, and wherein light generated in the scintillators downstream of the first array is reflected by the light-reflective material to the second array.
Specification