Devices, methods, and systems involving cast collimators

• US 20030128812A1
• Filed: 10/29/2002
• Published: 07/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX
• Original Assignee: Tecomet, Inc.
• Inventors: Fraser, Iain, Atkinson, James E., Appleby, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,462,852 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 378/147
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/3842 Manufacturing moulds, e.g. shaping the mould surface by machining
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/42 characterised by the shape of the moulding surface, e.g. ribs or grooves
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 39/021 by casting in several steps
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 39/34 for undercut articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/12 Articles with an irregular circumference when viewed in cross-section, e.g. window profiles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 69/001 a shaping technique combined with cutting, e.g. in parts or slices combined with rearranging and joining the cut parts for reinforced material B29C70/545; B29C49/4278, B29C51/268 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2083/00 Use of polymers having silicon, with or without sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, or carbon only, in the main chain, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: G21K 1/02 using diaphragms, collimators

Abstract

Certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention comprise a cast collimator descended from a stack lamination mold, said mold comprising a plurality of metallic foils. Certain embodiments of the present invention comprise a method comprising filling a mold having a stacked plurality of micro-machined metallic foil layers with a first casting material to form a first cast product; demolding the first cast product from the mold; filling the first cast product with a second casting material to form a cast collimator; and demolding the cast collimator from the first cast product. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. This abstract is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. 37 CFR 1.72(b).

Claims

1. A device, comprising a cast nuclear medicine collimator descended from a lithographically-derived micro-machined metallic foil stack lamination mold.

2. A device, comprising a cast mammography scatter reduction grid descended from a lithographically-derived micro-machined metallic foil stack lamination mold.

3. A device, comprising a cast mammography static scatter reduction grid descended from a lithographically-derived micro-machined metallic foil stack lamination mold, said static scatter reduction grid defining a wall thickness below 20 microns.

4. A device, comprising a cast mammography dynamic cross grid descended from a lithographically-derived micro-machined metallic foil stack lamination mold, said dynamic cross grid defining a wall thickness below 25 microns.

5. A device, comprising a non-laminated cast collimator descended from a lithographically-derived micro-machined metallic foil stack lamination mold.

6. A device, comprising a cast collimator descended from a stack lamination mold, said mold comprising a plurality of metallic foils.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein said cast collimator is non-laminated.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the stack lamination mold comprises a plurality of lithographically-derived metallic foils.

9. The device of claim 6, wherein the stack lamination mold comprises a plurality of micro-machined metallic foils.

10. The device of claim 6, wherein the stack lamination mold comprises a plurality of lithographically-derived micro-machined metallic foils.

11. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining a wall thickness of less than 20 microns.

12. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining a wall thickness of less than 15 microns.

13. The device of claim 6, said collimator comprising a plurality of walls, at least one wall from said plurality of walls having a thickness of less than 20 microns.

14. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining at least one cell having a width of between approximately 50 and approximately 150 microns.

15. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining a feature height of between approximately 4 centimeters and approximately 30 centimeters.

16. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining a grid ratio of less than 4.

17. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining a grid ratio of greater than 8.

18. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining a cell cross-sectional shape comprising 3 sides.

19. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining a cell cross-sectional shape comprising 5 sides.

20. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining a cell cross-sectional shape comprising greater than 6 sides.

21. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining a plurality of non-redundant cells.

22. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining a plurality of cells, each cell from said plurality of cells having a unique cross-sectional shape with respect to each other cell from said plurality of cells.

23. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining a cell having a non-planar wall.

24. The device of claim 6, said collimator comprising a planar side and a non-planar opposing side.

25. The device of claim 6, said collimator comprising a planar side and a non-planar opposing side, and wherein said collimator defines a plurality of through-holes having equal lengths, said plurality of through-holes extending between said planar side and said non-planar opposing side.

26. The device of claim 6, said collimator comprising a non-uniform wall thickness.

27. The device of claim 6, said collimator aligned to a radius of a gantry.

28. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining a plurality of through-holes that are focally aligned to a predetermined distance.

29. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining a plurality of passages that are focally aligned to a predetermined distance.

30. The device of claim 6, said collimator comprising lead combined with a plurality of dense particles.

31. The device of claim 6, said collimator comprising a lead alloy combined with a plurality of dense particles.

32. The device of claim 6, said collimator comprising a lead alloy combined with a plurality of dense particles selected from gold, tantalum, and tungsten.

33. The device of claim 6, said collimator comprising a polymer combined with a plurality of dense particles.

34. The device of claim 6, said collimator comprising a material having a density between approximately 7 grams/cc and approximately 14 grams/cc

35. The device of claim 6, said collimator comprising a casting material having a density of approximately 7.0 grams/cc to approximately 12.5 grams/cc.

36. The device of claim 6, said collimator comprising a casting material having a density of approximately 12.5 grams/cc to approximately 14 grams/cc.

37. The device of claim 6, said collimator focused in two orthogonal directions.

38. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining a plurality of cells that are focally aligned to a point at a predetermined distance.

39. The device of claim 6, said collimator comprising a pixelated detector array.

40. The device of claim 6, said collimator comprising a plurality of scintillators.

41. The device of claim 6, further comprising a pixelated detector array coupled to said collimator.

42. The device of claim 6, further comprising a plurality of scintillators coupled to said collimator.

43. The device of claim 6, further comprising radiation detector elements coupled to said collimator.

44. The device of claim 6, further comprising a plurality of radiation detector elements focally aligned by through-holes defined by said collimator to a radiation source at a predetermined distance.

45. The device of claim 6, further comprising a plurality of radiation detector elements aligned with openings defined by said collimator.

46. The device of claim 6, said collimator comprising a cross grid.

47. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining an aspect ratio of approximately 70 to approximately 300.

48. The device of claim 6, said collimator comprising a plurality of walls, at least one wall from said plurality of walls defining an aspect ratio of approximately 70 to approximately 300.

49. The device of claim 6, said collimator comprising a plurality of cells, each of said cells from said plurality of cells having a width of 1 millimeter or less.

50. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining a plurality of cells each having a width less than 500 microns and a height, a ratio of said height to said width greater than 4:

1.

51. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining a plurality of cells each having a width less than 500 microns and a height, a ratio of said height to said width greater than 10:

1.

52. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining a plurality of cells each having a width less than 500 microns and a height, a ratio of said height to said width greater than 20:

1.

53. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining a plurality of cells each having a width less than 500 microns and a height, a ratio of said height to said width greater than 40:

1.

54. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining a plurality of cells each having a width less than 400 microns and a height, a ratio of said height to said width greater than 4:

1.

55. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining a plurality of cells each having a width less than 400 microns and a height, a ratio of said height to said width greater than 8:

1.

56. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining a plurality of cells each having a width less than 400 microns and a height, a ratio of said height to said width greater than 16:

1.

57. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining a plurality of cells each having a width less than 400 microns and a height, a ratio of said height to said width greater than 32:

1.

58. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining a plurality of cells each having a width less than 400 microns and a height, a ratio of said height to said width greater than 40:

1.

59. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining a plurality of cells each having a width less than 200 microns and a height, a ratio of said height to said width greater than 4:

1.

60. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining a plurality of cells each having a width less than 200 microns and a height, a ratio of said height to said width greater than 8:

1.

61. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining a plurality of cells each having a width less than 200 microns and a height, a ratio of said height to said width greater than 16:

1.

62. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining a plurality of cells each having a width less than 200 microns and a height, a ratio of said height to said width greater than 32:

1.

63. The device of claim 6, said collimator defining a plurality of cells each having a width less than 200 microns and a height, a ratio of said height to said width greater than 40:

1.

64. The device of claim 6, wherein said collimator is encapsulated in a parent mold, said parent mold descended from the lithographically-derived micro-machined metallic foil stack lamination mold.

65. The device of claim 6, wherein said collimator is encapsulated in a polymeric parent mold, said polymeric parent mold descended from the lithographically-derived micro-machined metallic foil stack lamination mold.

66. A method, comprising:

filling a mold having a stacked plurality of micro-machined metallic foil layers with a first casting material to form a first cast product;

demolding the first cast product from the mold;

filling the first cast product with a second casting material to form a cast collimator; and

demolding the cast collimator from the first cast product.

67. The device of claim 66, wherein the micro-machined metallic foil stack lamination mold is lithographically-derived.

68. The device of claim 66, wherein the micro-machined metallic foil stack lamination mold is non-lithographically-derived.

69. A method, comprising:

filling a mold comprising a stacked plurality of metallic foil layers with a polymeric casting material to form a polymeric cast product;

demolding the polymeric cast product from the mold; and

filling the polymeric cast product with a metallic casting material to form an encapsulated cast collimator.