CT scanner with segmented detector array
First Claim
1. A transmission CT scanner comprising:
- a means for defining an examination region;
a radiation source means for rotating a beam of radiation about the examination region;
a plurality of segmented arrays of radiation sensitive cells for receiving radiation which has transversed the examination region from the source means and for producing electrical signals indicative of the received radiation, each segmented array including;
a common substrate,a regular two dimensional grid of solid state radiation sensitive cells formed on the common substrate, the grid having a plurality of rows of radiation sensitive cells in a peripheral direction generally parallel to a circumference of the examination region and a plurality of rows of cells along a longitudinal direction; and
,an image reconstruction means for reconstructing the electrical signals into an image representation.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A plurality of segmented radiation sensitive arrays (30) receive radiation from a radiation source (16) which has transversed an examination region (14) of a CT scanner (10). Each array includes a plurality of rows (A, B, C) of radiation sensitive cells, e.g. photodiodes, which produce an electrical signal indicative of the intensity of radiation received. Within each of the rows, there are larger cells and smaller cells. The electrical signals from each of the plurality of cells within each row are serialized (34) and amplified (36A, 36B, 36C). Selected combinations of the electrical signals from the various rows and larger and smaller elements within each row are combined (46) and reconstructed (50) into an image representation (52) for display on a video monitor or the like.
102 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A transmission CT scanner comprising:
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a means for defining an examination region; a radiation source means for rotating a beam of radiation about the examination region; a plurality of segmented arrays of radiation sensitive cells for receiving radiation which has transversed the examination region from the source means and for producing electrical signals indicative of the received radiation, each segmented array including; a common substrate, a regular two dimensional grid of solid state radiation sensitive cells formed on the common substrate, the grid having a plurality of rows of radiation sensitive cells in a peripheral direction generally parallel to a circumference of the examination region and a plurality of rows of cells along a longitudinal direction; and
,an image reconstruction means for reconstructing the electrical signals into an image representation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A projection radiographic scanner comprising:
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a means for defining an examination region; a radiation source means for rotating a beam of radiation about the examination region; a plurality of segmented arrays of radiation sensitive cells for receiving radiation which has transversed the examination region form the source means and for producing electrical signals indicative of the received radiation, each of the segmented radiation sensitive arrays includes cells having radiation sensitive faces of a plurality of different sizes; and
,an image reconstruction means for reconstructing the electrical signals into an image representation. - View Dependent Claims (5)
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6. A CT scanner comprising:
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a means for defining an examination region; a plurality of segmented arrays of radiation sensitive cells mounted peripherally around the examination region, the cells of the plurality of arrays defining at least one peripheral ring of cells around the examination region, each array having a row of radiation sensitive cells lying in the peripheral ring, each row of cells having cells with radiation sensitive faces of one of at least two different sizes in a dimension along the peripheral ring; an image reconstruction means for constructing an image representation from electrical signals generated by the arrays.
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7. A CT scanner comprising:
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a means for defining an examination region; a radiation source means for rotating a beam of radiation about the examination region; a plurality of segmented arrays of radiation sensitive cells for receiving radiation which has transversed the examination region from the source means and for producing electrical signals indicative of the received radiation; a sampling means for sampling the electrical signals from each cell; a weighting and filtering means for selectively spatially weighting and temporally filtering the sampled electrical signals, the spatial weighting and temporal filtering being adjustable to match the electrical signals to a selected reconstruction algorithm; a combining means for selectively combining the weighted and filtered electrical signals; a logarithm means for determining a logarithm of the combined electrical signals, the logarithm means being operatively connected with the combining means; and
,an image reconstruction means for reconstructing the electrical signals into an image representation with the selected reconstruction algorithm.
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8. A CT scanner comprising:
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a means for defining an examination region; a plurality of segmented arrays of radiation sensitive cells for receiving radiation from the examination region and for producing electrical signals indicative of the received radiation, each of the arrays including radiation sensitive cells of at least first and second sizes; a plurality of memory means, each memory means storing electrical signals from a preselected subset of cells of each of the plurality of arrays; and
,a combining means for selectively combining stored electrical signals from the memory means, the combining means being operatively connected with an image reconstruction means for supplying the combined electrical signals thereto.
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9. A CT scanner comprising:
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a means for defining an examination region; a radiation source means for rotating a beam of radiation about the examination region; a plurality of segmented arrays of radiation sensitive cells for receiving radiation which has traversed the examination region from the source means and for producing electrical signals indicative of the received radiation, each array including a rectangular grid of cells with peripheral cell rows along a peripheral direction parallel to a periphery of the examination region and with longitudinal cell rows transverse thereto;
p1 a collimator means for adjustably screening a selective portion of selectable rows of the radiation sensitive cells; and
,an image reconstruction means for reconstructing the electrical signals into an image representation.
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10. A method of medical diagnostic imaging comprising:
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rotating a fan beam of radiation around an object to be imaged; detecting radiation which has traversed the object with a plurality of segmented arrays, each of the arrays having a two dimensional grid of radiation sensitive cells; serially reading radiation absorption data from radiation sensitive cells of each array; combining data from a plurality of cells; and
,reconstructing a transverse image representation from the combined, serially read data. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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14. A CT scanner comprising:
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a means for defining an examination region; a plurality of segmented arrays mounted in a peripheral ring around the examination region, each array including a common substrate on which a two dimensional array of solid state radiation sensitive cells are deposited, each cell receiving radiation from the examination region and producing electrical signals indicative of said received radiation; an array of at least one of (a) transistors and (b) charged coupled devices deposited on the common substrate for serially connecting the radiation sensitive cells to output amplifiers, which output amplifiers are also disposed on the common substrate. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification