X-RAY DETECTOR INCLUDING SCINTILLATOR, A LENS ARRAY, AND AN IMAGE INTENSIFIER

• US 20100140487A1
• Filed: 10/05/2009
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arizona Board of Regents (University of Arizona)
• Original Assignee: Arizona Board of Regents (University of Arizona)
• Inventors: Furenlid, Lars R., Miller, Brian W., Barber, H. Bradford, Barrett, Harrison H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,519,338 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/366
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/037 Emission tomography
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/1642 using a scintillation crystal and position sensing photodetector arrays, e.g. ANGER cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/1644 using an array of optically separate scintillation elements permitting direct location of scintillations G01T1/1645 takes precedence

Abstract

An X-ray detection device including a scintillator configured to convert gamma rays or X-rays into optical radiation, an optical image intensifier configured to intensify the optical radiation to generate intensified optical radiation, an optical coupling system configured to guide the intensified optical radiation, and a solid state detector configured to detect the intensified optical radiation to generate an interaction image representing an X-ray energy emission and to perform photon counting based on data of the interaction image.

Claims

1. A detection apparatus, comprising:

a scintillator having a front surface and a rear surface, the scintillator configured to convert x-rays into optical radiation;

a lens array including a plurality of lens elements, the lens array arranged behind the rear surface of the scintillator, and configured to guide the optical radiation from the rear surface of the scintillator to generate a plurality of projections of optical radiation;

a plurality of optical image intensifiers, each optical image intensifier arranged in an optical axis of a corresponding lens element of the lens array, the plurality of optical image intensifiers configured to intensify the plurality of projections of optical radiation from a rear surface of the lens array to generate a plurality of projections of intensified optical radiation; and

a plurality of solid state detectors configured to detect the projections of intensified optical radiation to generate a plurality of interaction images, and configured to calculated an energy of photons of the x-rays based on the interaction images.

2. The detection apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the plurality of projections of optical radiation are captured by the lens array from a plurality of corresponding area sections of the rear surface of the scintillator, and

wherein the plurality of the lens elements of the lens array have overlapping fields of view, such that adjacent area sections of the rear surface are overlapping each other.

3. The detection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of macro lenses configured to project the plurality of projections of intensified optical radiation onto the plurality of solid state detectors, respectively.

4. The detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the a front surface of the lens array has at least a same total area as the rear surface of the scintillator.