Amplified-scintillation optical-coded radioisotope imaging system

• US 3,916,198 A
• Filed: 06/01/1973
• Issued: 10/28/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Eugene G. Vaerewyck, John W. Coltman
• Original Assignee: Eugene G. Vaerewyck, John W. Coltman
• Inventors: Coltman, John W., Vaerewyck, Eugene G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lawrence, James W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Willis, Davis L.
• Application Number:
  US05/366,235
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 250/363,366,368,369,213VT
• US Class Current: 250/363.01
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/1645 using electron optical imaging means, e.g. image intensifier tubes, coordinate photomultiplier tubes, image converter
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/295 using coded aperture devices, e.g. Fresnel zone plates handling of radiation of particles, e.g. using diaphragms, collimators, diffraction G21K1/00

Abstract

A radioisotope imaging system wherein the position of an amplified scintillation is determined by optical coding means that is essentially insensitive to variations in the strength of the scintillation. This permits a more accurate position location and, therefore, a higher resolution in the final image. At the same time, sensitivity remains high, as does discrimination in energy.

Claims

1. In a radioisotope imaging system, the combination of an amplified-scintillation means including a scintillation screen within an image-amplifier electron-optic device for emitting amplified visible scintillations in a field of view in response to incident radiation, a plurality of electron-optic detectors, an optical system viewing said field of view and which projects light from said field of view to said plurality of electron-optic detectors and on optical coding means incorporated into said optical system and adapted to conduct light produced by an amplified scintillation to certain of said detectors while not permitting light to pass to other of the detectors, whereby the detectors will produce ON and OFF digital signals forming a code identifying the location of said scintillation in said field of view.

2. The radioisotope imaging system of claim 1 including means for focusing the entire field of view onto each of said plurality of electron-optic detectors.

3. The radioisotope imaging system of claim 1 including a plurality of lenses for focusing said field of view onto masks disposed before respective ones of a plurality of electron-optic detectors whereby for a given position of a scintillation in said field of view, certain of the detectoRs will receive light while others will not, the totality of the outputs of said detectors comprising a digital signal.

4. The radioisotope imaging system of claim 3 including means for processing said digital signals into X and Y analog signals, and means responsive to said X and Y analog signals for displaying the position of a scintillation in said field of view.

5. The radioisotope imaging system of claim 4 including an electron-optic detector for sensing light from the entire field of view and for producing and electrical signal proportional to the magnitude of light from the entire field of view, and comparator means for comparing the output of said last-mentioned electron-optic detector with the remainder of the electron-optic detectors to discriminate against background noise and simultaneous scintillations.

6. The radioisotope imaging system of claim 1 wherein said optical system viewing said field of view comprises an optic fiber bundle.

7. The radioisotope imaging system of claim 6 wherein selected ones of the optic fibers in said bunlde view discrete areas of said field of view and direct light onto a number of said electron-optic detectors which will produce an output digital signal indicative of the position of a scintillation in said field of view.

8. The radioisotope imaging system to claim 1 wherein said optical coding means comprises a mask and lenticular screen means for directing light from a scintillation onto a plurality of detectors.

9. The radioisotope imaging system of claim 1 wherein said optical coding means includes a single lens viewing said field of view, beam splitter means for directing portions of light passing through said single lens onto masks interposed before said plurality of electron-optic detectors.

10. The radioisotope imaging system of claim 1 including means for storing said digital signals for subsequent processing.