X-RAY COLLIMATOR AND X-RAY IMAGING APPARATUS USING SAME

• US 20190029614A1
• Filed: 02/06/2017
• Published: 01/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vatech Ewoo Holdings Co., Ltd (Chang-Joon Ro, MBA), Vatech Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Vatech Ewoo Holdings Co., Ltd (Chang-Joon Ro, MBA), Vatech Company Limited
• Inventors: CHOI, Sung Il
• Granted Patent: US 10,638,984 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/06 Diaphragms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/107 Protection against radiation, e.g. shielding
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/547 involving tracking of position of the device or parts of the device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/58 Testing, adjusting or calibrating thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G21K 1/02 using diaphragms, collimators
• CPC Class Codes: G21K 1/046 varying the contour of the field, e.g. multileaf collimators

Abstract

The present invention relates to an X-ray collimator capable of adjusting a field of view during X-ray imaging and an X-ray imaging apparatus using the same, the apparatus including an X-ray light source configured to emit X-rays, an X-ray detector configured to detect the X-rays, and a collimator configured to provide an opening to determine an FOV of the X-rays between the X-ray light source and the X-ray detector, wherein the opening is configured such that at least one of a first edge at an entrance side facing the X-ray light source, and a second edge at an exit side facing the X-ray detector is formed in a curved shape.

Claims

1. An X-ray imaging apparatus comprising:

an X-ray light source configured to emit X-rays;

an X-ray detector configured to detect the X-rays; and

a collimator configured to provide an opening to determine an FOV of the X-rays between the X-ray light source and the X-ray detector,

wherein the opening is configured such that at least one of a first edge at an entrance side facing the X-ray light source and a second edge at an exit side facing the X-ray detector is formed in a curved shape.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the X-ray light source and the collimator are arranged in a fixed relative position, and

the first edge is in a vertically angled shape and the second edge is in the curved shape.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the X-ray detector and the collimator are moved with respect to each other in one direction,

a first side edge of the opening facing the moving direction is configured to be in a vertically angled shape at the first edge and in a curved shape at the second edge, and

a second side edge of the opening is configured to be in the curved shape at both the first edge and the second edge.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the X-ray detector and the collimator are moved with respect to each other in opposite directions, and

the opening includes the first edge and the second edge being in the curved shape.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the curved shape is an arc shape.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the curved shape is an arc tangent to a line connecting the X-ray light source and a point of a part where intensity of the X-rays detected by the X-ray detector is 40% or more and 60% or less, assuming that the first edge and the second edge are in an angled shape.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein a radius of curvature of the arc is equal to or less than a thickness of the collimator and equal to or more than half of the thickness of the collimator.

8. An X-ray collimator configure to provide an opening to determine an FOV of X-rays between an X-ray light source configured to emit the X-rays and an X-ray detector configured to detect the X-rays,

wherein when the X-ray light source and the collimator are arranged in a fixed relative position, the opening includes a first edge facing the X-ray light source being in an angled shape and a second edge facing the X-ray detector being in a curved shape;

when the X-ray detector and the collimator are moved with respect to each other in one direction, a first side edge of the opening facing the moving direction is configured to be in an angled shape at the first edge and in a curved shape at the second edge, and a second side edge of the opening is configured to be in the curved shape at both the first edge and the second edge; and

when the X-ray detector and the collimator are moved with respect to each other in opposite directions, the opening includes the first edge and the second edge being in the curved shape.

9. The collimator of claim 8, wherein the curved shape is an arc shape.

10. The collimator of claim 8, wherein the curved shape is an arc tangent to a line connecting the X-ray light source and a point of a part where intensity of the X-rays detected by the X-ray detector is 40% or more and 60% or less, assuming that both the first edge and the second edge are in an angled shape.