Method and apparatus for utilizing an electro-optic detector in a microtomography system
First Claim
1. An apparatus for producing tomographic images of an object mounted with respect to a rotation axis, said object irradiated by a beam of plane parallel collimated x-ray radiation transmitted in a plurality of rays through a set of coplanar sections of said object as viewed from a plurality of angles about said rotation axis comprising:
- (a) an imaging two-dimensional electro-optic detector to simultaneously record the transmitted radiation from multiple stacked planes through said object irradiated by a beam of plane parallel collimated x-ray radiation wherein the electro-optic detector includes an energy converter, an electro-optic readout and a means for format alteration, said format alteration means being focused;
(b) means to determine projection data from transmitted radiation with respect to one or more reference calibration exposures, wherein a projected image of said rotation axis is aligned on said readout, wherein said object is aligned with respect to said rotation axis, and wherein said electro-optic detector has a spatially uniform response and low signal dependent background;
(c) means to determine a three-dimensional reconstructed image of attenuation coefficients of said object from said projection data.
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Abstract
The present invention is an apparatus and a method for producing tomographic images of an object irradiated by a beam of collimated radiation transmitted in a plurality of rays through a set of coplanar sections of an object as viewed from a plurality of angles about a rotation axis. The apparatus includes an imaging electro-optic detector to record the transmitted radiation, wherein the electro-optic detector alters the image format, the format alteration being focused; means to determine and align the projected position of the rotation axis on the electro-optic detector; means to align the object with respect to the rotation axis; means to determine and assure spatial uniformity of detector response; means to reduce signal dependent backgrounds; means to determine the projection coefficients from the transmitted radiation with respect to one or more reference calibration exposures; and means to compute a reconstructed image of the object'"'"'s attenuation coefficients.
178 Citations
38 Claims
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1. An apparatus for producing tomographic images of an object mounted with respect to a rotation axis, said object irradiated by a beam of plane parallel collimated x-ray radiation transmitted in a plurality of rays through a set of coplanar sections of said object as viewed from a plurality of angles about said rotation axis comprising:
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(a) an imaging two-dimensional electro-optic detector to simultaneously record the transmitted radiation from multiple stacked planes through said object irradiated by a beam of plane parallel collimated x-ray radiation wherein the electro-optic detector includes an energy converter, an electro-optic readout and a means for format alteration, said format alteration means being focused; (b) means to determine projection data from transmitted radiation with respect to one or more reference calibration exposures, wherein a projected image of said rotation axis is aligned on said readout, wherein said object is aligned with respect to said rotation axis, and wherein said electro-optic detector has a spatially uniform response and low signal dependent background; (c) means to determine a three-dimensional reconstructed image of attenuation coefficients of said object from said projection data. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method for producing tomographic images of an object comprising:
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(a) irradiating said object by a beam of plane parallel collimated x-ray radiation transmitted in a plurality of rays through a set of coplanar sections of said object as viewed from a plurality of angles about a rotation axis; (b) simultaneously recording said transmitted radiation from multiple stacked planes by a two-dimensional imaging electro-optic detector, wherein said electro-optic detector includes an energy converter and alters the image format, the format alteration being focused; (c) determining and aligning in three-dimensional space the projected position of said rotation axis on said electro-optic detector; (d) aligning said object in three-dimensional space with respect to said rotation axis; (e) determing and assuring spatial uniformity of detector response; (f) measuring and reducing signal dependent background; (g) determining projection data from the transmitted radiation with respect to one or more reference calibration exposures; (h) reconstructing an image of attenuation coefficients of said object from said projection data. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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Specification