Real-time 3-D x-ray and gamma-ray viewer
First Claim
1. An instrument for viewing x-ray and gamma-ray emitting objects, comprising:
- means (22) for forming incident x-rays and gamma-rays emitted by an object into an array of mini-images of said object;
means (24) spatially displaced from said forming means (22) for converting said x-ray and gamma-ray mini-images into visible-light mini-images;
first means (26) coupled to said converting means (24) for intensifying said visible-light mini-images; and
screening means (34/48) having a plurality of apertures, spatially displaced from said first intensifier means (26), for providing a reconstructed autostereoscopic visible-light image of said object having a continuum of perspective views.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A multi-pinhole aperture lead screen (22) forms an equal plurality of invisible mini-images having dissimilar perspectives of an x-ray and gamma-ray emitting object (ABC) onto a rear-earth phosphor layer (24) which, in turn, provides visible light mini-images directly into a visbile light image intensifier (26). A viewing screen (34/48) having an equal plurality of dissimilar perspective apertures distributed across its face in a geometric pattern identical to the lead screen, provides a viewer with a real, pseudoscopic image (A'"'"'B'"'"'C'"'"') of the object with full horizontal and vertical parallax. Alternatively, a third screen (34) identical to the viewing screen (48) and spaced apart from a second visible light image intensifier (42), may be positioned between the first image intensifier (26) and the viewing screen (48), thereby providing the viewer with a virtual, orthoscopic image (A"B"C") of the object (ABC) with full horizontal and vertical parallax.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. An instrument for viewing x-ray and gamma-ray emitting objects, comprising:
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means (22) for forming incident x-rays and gamma-rays emitted by an object into an array of mini-images of said object; means (24) spatially displaced from said forming means (22) for converting said x-ray and gamma-ray mini-images into visible-light mini-images; first means (26) coupled to said converting means (24) for intensifying said visible-light mini-images; and screening means (34/48) having a plurality of apertures, spatially displaced from said first intensifier means (26), for providing a reconstructed autostereoscopic visible-light image of said object having a continuum of perspective views. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5)
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2. An instrument for viewing x-ray and gamma-ray emitting objects, comprising:
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means (22) for forming from x-rays and gamma-rays emitted by an object a plurality of mini-images having dissimilar perspective views of said object; means (24) spatially displaced from said forming means (22) for converting said x-ray and gamma-ray mini-images into visible-light mini-images; first means (26) conjugately paired with said converting means (24) for intensifying said visible-light mini-images; and screening means (34) having a plurality of apertures, spatially displaced from said first intensifying means (26), for reconstructing from said intensified visible-light mini-images a composite pseudoscopic image of said object, having both vertical and horizontal parallax.
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6. An instrument for viewing x-ray and gamma-ray emitting objects, comprising:
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means (22) for forming incident x-rays and gamma-rays emitted by an object into an array of mini-images of said object; means (24) spatially displaced from said forming means (22) for converting said x-ray and gamma-ray mini-images into visible-light mini-images; first means (26) proximate to said converting means (24) for intensifying said visible-light mini-images; screening means (34) having a plurality of apertures, spatially displaced from said first intensifier (26), for inverting each of said plurality of intensified visible-light mini-images provided by said first intensifying means (26); second means (42) spatially displaced from said screening means (34), for intensifying said plurality of inverted visible-light mini-images; and viewing means (48) having a plurality of apertures, spatially displaced from said second intensifier means (42), for reconstructing from said intensified plurality of inverted visible-light mini-images a composite orthoscopic image of said object, having vertical and horizontal parallax. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. An instrument for viewing x-ray and gamma-ray emitting objects, comprising:
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a first plate of a material impenetrable to x-rays and gamma-rays, having a planar array of discrete apertures of equal cross-sectional area for passage of x-rays and gamma-rays emitted by an object; means spaced apart in a plane parallel to said first plate, for converting said x-rays and said gamma rays passed by said first plate into visible light; a first image intensifier coupled to said converting means to receive said visible light and emit intensified visible-light mini-images; and a second plate spaced apart in a plane parallel to said first image intensifier opposite said converting means and having an array of discrete apertures of equal cross-sectional area for viewing a three-dimensional image of said object reconstructed from said intensified visible-light mini-images. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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Specification