RADIATION DETECTOR AND SCANNER

• US 20180095188A1
• Filed: 09/30/2016
• Published: 04/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Varex Imaging Corporation
• Original Assignee: Varex Imaging Corporation
• Inventors: SHEDLOCK, Daniel, NISIUS, David T, STAR-LACK, Josh M, DONNALD, Samuel, VIRSHUP, Gary F, CLAYTON, James E
• Granted Patent: US 10,459,091 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/20182 Modular detectors, e.g. tiled scintillators or tiled photodiodes stacked detectors G01T1/20181
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/20183 Arrangements for preventing or correcting crosstalk, e.g. optical or electrical arrangements for correcting crosstalk
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/20187 Position of the scintillator with respect to the photodiode, e.g. photodiode surrounding the crystal, the crystal surrounding the photodiode, shape or size of the scintillator

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.

Claims

1. A system operable for detecting radiation, the system comprising:

an imager comprising a first planar array of pixels; and

a plurality of scintillators that have respective lengths that are greater than their respective widths, the scintillators coupled to the imager with their respective longitudinal axes parallel to each other;

wherein an incoming radiation beam, that enters the scintillators through respective first surfaces of the scintillators that are transverse to the longitudinal axes, is converted by the scintillators into light that is received by respective subsets of the first planar array of pixels.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the scintillators are coupled to the imager such that the longitudinal axes are parallel to the first planar array of pixels.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the imager further comprises a second planar array of pixels separated from the first planar array by light-reflective material, wherein the scintillators traverse the first planar array, the light-reflective material, and the second planar array, and wherein light generated in the scintillators downstream of the first planar array is reflected by the light-reflective material to the second planar array.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the scintillators are coupled to the imager such that the longitudinal axes are perpendicular to the first planar array of pixels.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the scintillators comprise light-reflective material on each of their respective surfaces except on their respective first surfaces and except on respective second surfaces that are facing the imager.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the scintillators comprise light-reflective material on each of their respective surfaces except on their respective first surfaces, wherein respective second surfaces of the scintillators facing the imager have respective openings in the light-reflective material.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the imager generates signals in response to the light that is received by the first planar array of pixels, wherein only a subset of the signals corresponding to less than all of the pixels that receive the light is sampled per sample interval.

8. A system for scanning an object, the system comprising:

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 the scintillators'"'"' lengths are greater than the scintillators'"'"' widths and 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, and wherein the radiation beam enters the scintillators through respective first surfaces of the scintillators that are transverse to the longitudinal axes and is converted by the scintillators into light that is received at the imager, 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.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the scintillators are coupled to the imager such that the longitudinal axes are parallel to the planar surface.

10. The system of claim 9, 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.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the scintillators are coupled to the imager such that the longitudinal axes are perpendicular to the planar surface.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the scintillators comprise light-reflective material on each of their respective surfaces except on their respective first surfaces and except on respective second surfaces that are facing the imager.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the scintillators comprise light-reflective material on each of their respective surfaces except on their respective first surfaces, wherein respective second surfaces of the scintillators facing the imager have respective openings in the light-reflective material.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein only the signals from less than all of the rows of pixels are sampled per sample interval.

15. A method for scanning an object, the method comprising:

receiving, at a plurality of scintillators, an incoming radiation beam that has passed through the object, wherein the plurality of scintillators have respective lengths and are coupled to an imager with their respective longitudinal axes parallel to each other, wherein the incoming radiation beam enters the scintillators through respective first surfaces of the scintillators, wherein the first surfaces have respective widths less than the respective lengths of the scintillators and are transverse to the longitudinal axes of the scintillators, and wherein the radiation beam is converted by the scintillators into light;

receiving the light from the scintillators at the imager;

converting the light into electrical signals; and

sampling the electrical signals to generate information about the object.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the imager comprises rows and columns of pixels arrayed on a planar surface, wherein the scintillators are coupled to the imager such that the longitudinal axes are parallel to the planar surface.

17. The method of claim 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.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the scintillators are coupled to the imager such that the longitudinal axes are perpendicular to the planar surface.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein only the signals from less than all of the rows of pixels are sampled per sample interval.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the scintillators comprise light-reflective material that causes the light generated by the scintillators to reflect within the scintillators.