Apparatus and method for analysis using x-rays
First Claim
1. An x-ray analysis apparatus for determining the content of a material of interest within an object comprising an x-ray tube means and associated power supply which generates an x-ray beam, means to expose to the x-ray beam an object to be analyzed, means to insert into and remove from the x-ray beam a piece of reference material in the manner that all regions of the object are exposed both to the x-ray beam and to the x-ray beam obstructed by the reference material, said reference material having x-ray absorption properties substantially corresponding to those of said material of interest, detector means arranged on the opposite side of the object to detect x-rays and produce signals corresponding to the amount of x-rays transmitted through the object, and signal processing means responsive to signals from the detector means to produce an indication of the content of said material of interest in the object based upon the signals produced by the exposure to the x-ray beam and the signals produced by the exposure to the x-ray beam obstructed by the reference material.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An x-ray analysis apparatus with an x-ray tube which generates an x-ray beam to expose an object to be analyzed. The apparatus inserts into and removes from the x-ray beam a piece of reference material such that regions of the object are exposed both to the x-ray beam and the x-ray beam obstructed by the reference material. A detector detects x-rays passing through the object and produces an indication of the object based upon the signals produced by the exposure to the x-ray beam and upon the signals produced by the exposure to the x-ray beam obstructed by the reference material.
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Citations
40 Claims
- 1. An x-ray analysis apparatus for determining the content of a material of interest within an object comprising an x-ray tube means and associated power supply which generates an x-ray beam, means to expose to the x-ray beam an object to be analyzed, means to insert into and remove from the x-ray beam a piece of reference material in the manner that all regions of the object are exposed both to the x-ray beam and to the x-ray beam obstructed by the reference material, said reference material having x-ray absorption properties substantially corresponding to those of said material of interest, detector means arranged on the opposite side of the object to detect x-rays and produce signals corresponding to the amount of x-rays transmitted through the object, and signal processing means responsive to signals from the detector means to produce an indication of the content of said material of interest in the object based upon the signals produced by the exposure to the x-ray beam and the signals produced by the exposure to the x-ray beam obstructed by the reference material.
- 9. An apparatus responsive to the absorption characteristics of an object exposed to a radiation beam of at least two different energies from an x-ray source, the apparatus including an x-ray source, a detector, and a reference system which is capable of interposing into said radiation beam substantially over the extent of the exposed area of the object a material of known absorption characteristics in a manner to produce four sets of absorption data independent of the object being examined, namely high energy without reference material interposed, high energy with reference material interposed, low energy without reference material interposed and low energy with reference material interposed, and signal processing means responsive to said four sets of data and capable of using the known absorption characteristics of said reference system and the absorption characteristics of the object as represented by x-rays reaching the detector, both with and without the presence of the reference material in the beam, to determine a characteristic of the object.
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35. A method of measuring bone content in a patient who is held in fixed position comprising:
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generating an x-ray beam; exposing the patient by passing the x-ray beam through portions of the patient having bone and adjacent portions having only flesh; passing the x-ray beam through a predetermined bone-like calibration material in the course of exposing the patient such that portions of the patient are exposed both to the x-ray beam and to the beam obstructed by said predetermined bone-like calibration material; detecting x-rays attenuated by the patient, calibrating signals from detected x-rays using data based upon x-rays attenuated by said calibration material; and processing signals from detected x-rays to provide a measurement of bone content in the patient. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. An x-ray bone densitometer comprising an x-ray tube means and associated power supply which generates an x-ray beams of two different energies, means to expose to the x-ray beam regions of a patient to be analyzed, means to insert into and remove from the x-ray beam a piece of bone-like calibration material of predetermined properties such that all regions of the patient are exposed to the x-ray beams of different energies and to the beams of different energies obstructed by the bone-like calibration material, detector means arranged on the opposite side of the patient to detect x-rays and produce signals corresponding to the amount of x-rays transmitted through the patient, and signal processing means responsive to signals from the detector means to produce an indication of the content of bone within the patient based upon the signals produced by the exposure to the x-ray beams and the signals produced by the exposure to the x-ray beams obstructed by the bone-like calibration material.
Specification