VOLUMETRIC AND PROJECTION IMAGE GENERATION

• US 20150260875A1
• Filed: 11/02/2012
• Published: 09/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Analogic Corporation
• Original Assignee: Analogic Corporation
• Inventors: Schafer, David, Naidu, Ram, Savard, Serge
• Granted Patent: US 9,696,452 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4266 characterised by using a plurality of detector units A61B6/4014 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/046 using tomography, e.g. computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 5/20 Detecting prohibited goods, e.g. weapons, explosives, hazardous substances, contraband or smuggled objects
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 5/226 using tomography

Abstract

Among other things, radiation systems and techniques for generating volumetric data and projections images of an object(s) under examination are provided. The radiation system comprises at least two detector arrays and at least one radiation source. During an examination, the radiation source and at least one detector array are rotated about the object while a second detector array is substantially fixed in place. In one embodiment, the radiation source is configured to, at times, illuminate the first detector array and, at times, illuminate the second detector array. For example, the radiation source may illuminate the first detector array during nearly all of the rotation while the second detector array is merely illuminated at a single gantry rotation angle. Information generated by the second detector array may be utilized to yield volumetric data while information generated by the first detector array may be utilized to yield a projection image, for example.

Claims

1. A radiation system, comprising

a radiation source and a first detector array mounted to a rotating gantry that is configured for rotation about an object during an examination of the object, the first detector array configured to generate information from which volumetric data indicative of the object is yielded;

and

a second detector array mounted to a first substantially stationary member of the radiation system, the second detector array configured to generate information from which a projection image indicative of the object is yielded.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the radiation source is configured to illuminate the first detector array and the second detector array.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

a relative position of the radiation source and the first detector array is maintained during the examination, and

a relative position of the radiation source and the second detector array is varied during the examination.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

a detection surface of the first detector array is substantially arcuate, and

a detection surface of the second detector array is substantially planar.

5. The system of claim 1, comprising a pre-object collimator configured to attenuate radiation impinging thereon and configured to control illumination of the second detector array via the radiation source.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the pre-object collimator defines an aperture facilitating illumination of the second detector array via the radiation source during merely a rotational segment of the rotating gantry.

7. The system of claim 5, the pre-object collimator mounted to a second substantially stationary member of the radiation system.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first detector array has a first detector cell density and the second detector array has a second detector cell density, the first detector cell density different than the second detector cell density.

9. The system of claim 1, comprising a third detector array mounted to a third substantially stationary member of the radiation system, the third detector array configured to generate information from which the projection image is yielded.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the rotating gantry rotates about an axis of rotation, the axis of rotation not parallel to a direction in which the object is translated during the examination.

11. The system of claim 1, comprising an object analysis component configured to analyze the volumetric data to determine whether the object is a potential object of interest.

12. A radiation system, comprising:

a radiation source and a first detector array mounted to a rotating gantry that is configured for rotation about an object during an examination of the object, the first detector array configured to generate information from which volumetric data indicative of the object is yielded; and

a second detector array mounted to a first substantially stationary member of the radiation system, the second detector array configured to generate information from which a projection image indicative of the object is yielded,

the radiation source configured to illuminate the first detector array and the second detector array.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein:

a detection surface of the first detector array is substantially arcuate, and

a detection surface of the second detector array is substantially planar.

14. The system of claim 12, comprising a pre-object collimator mounted to a second substantially stationary member and configured to control illumination of the second detector array via the radiation source.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the pre-object collimator defines an aperture facilitating illumination of the second detector array via the radiation source during merely a rotational segment of the rotating gantry.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the rotating gantry rotates about an axis of rotation, the axis of rotation not parallel to a direction in which the object is translated during the examination.

17. (canceled)

18. A method for threat detection, comprising:

illuminating, via a single radiation source, a first detector array and a second detector array;

utilizing volumetric data indicative of an object undergoing an examination and yielded from information generated by the first detector array to analyze whether the object is a potential threat object; and

providing for display a projection image representative of the object to a user, the projection image yielded from information generated by the second detector array.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the illuminating comprises concurrently illuminating the first detector array and the second detector array.

20. The method of claim 18, comprising:

varying a relative position of the radiation source and the second detector array during the examination; and

substantially maintaining a relative position of the radiation source and first detector array during the examination.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the radiation source is mounted to a rotating gantry configured to rotate about the object during the examination and wherein the illuminating comprises:

illuminating the second detector array during merely a rotational segment of the rotating gantry.