Proximity detector for body contouring system of a medical camera
First Claim
1. In a medical imaging system having an imaging surface of a scintillation detector, a gentry structure, a gentry control unit coupled a scanning camera for movement of said imaging surface relative to an object, and an apparatus for profile determination of said object, said apparatus comprising:
- means for generating triangulation data, wherein said means for generating triangulation data further comprises;
means for illuminating said object by emitting an electromagnetic energy beam;
sweeping means optically coupled to receive and reflect said electromagnetic energy beam, said sweeping means for sweeping said electromagnetic energy beam across a plurality of discrete points of said object;
focusing means for focusing electromagnetic energy reflected frown said plurality of points of said object onto an electromagnetic energy detector means;
said electromagnetic energy detector means for detecting position and intensity information of electromagnetic energy received from said focusing means and based thereon for generating said triangulation data; and
a filter for preventing energy not of a same wavelength as said electromagnetic energy beam from entering said electromagnetic energy detector means; and
proximity calculation means for directly computing spatial locations of said plurality of points of said object based on said triangulation data for each of said plurality of points of said object illuminated by said electromagnetic energy beam by taking an average location of a plurality of location samples of each point of said plurality of points, said proximity calculation means coupled to receive said triangulation data from said means for generating triangulation data.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A direct measurement system for proximity detection of a body profile for use within nuclear medicine. The measurement system includes two or three proximity detector units mounted on a gantry structure of a nuclear medicine camera which each emit an energy beam which is swept across a portion of a target body. Each detector is capable of directly measuring the distance from the proximity detector unit to the target body with a beam sample. The detectors then create a body profile of the target body which is used to minimize the distance between the collimator of a scanning camera and the target body surface thus improving image quality of the scanning camera. There is relative motion between the object and the gantry along a cranial-caudal axis of a target body for scanning successive body profiles. Successive body profiles are combined together to achieve a complete body contour of the target body. The proximity detector units are stationary with respect to movement of the scanning camera toward said target body. Body contour data is also used for attentuation correction.
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Citations
58 Claims
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1. In a medical imaging system having an imaging surface of a scintillation detector, a gentry structure, a gentry control unit coupled a scanning camera for movement of said imaging surface relative to an object, and an apparatus for profile determination of said object, said apparatus comprising:
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means for generating triangulation data, wherein said means for generating triangulation data further comprises; means for illuminating said object by emitting an electromagnetic energy beam; sweeping means optically coupled to receive and reflect said electromagnetic energy beam, said sweeping means for sweeping said electromagnetic energy beam across a plurality of discrete points of said object; focusing means for focusing electromagnetic energy reflected frown said plurality of points of said object onto an electromagnetic energy detector means; said electromagnetic energy detector means for detecting position and intensity information of electromagnetic energy received from said focusing means and based thereon for generating said triangulation data; and a filter for preventing energy not of a same wavelength as said electromagnetic energy beam from entering said electromagnetic energy detector means; and proximity calculation means for directly computing spatial locations of said plurality of points of said object based on said triangulation data for each of said plurality of points of said object illuminated by said electromagnetic energy beam by taking an average location of a plurality of location samples of each point of said plurality of points, said proximity calculation means coupled to receive said triangulation data from said means for generating triangulation data. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. In a medical imaging system having at least one imaging surface of a scintillation detector a gantry structure, a gantry control unit coupled to said imaging surface for movement of said imaging surface, an axial track coupled to said gantry structure, and an apparatus for profile determination of an object, said apparatus comprising:
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an electromagnetic energy emission device generating a modulated electromagnetic energy beam; a sweeping device optically coupled to receive said modulated electromagnetic energy beam, said sweeping device sweeping said modulated electromagnetic energy beam across a plurality of points of said object; an electromagnetic energy detector device detecting intensity and position of reflected electromagnetic beam energy; a focusing device focusing said reflected electromagnetic beam energy from said plurality of points of said object onto said electromagnetic energy detector device; a demodulation device demodulating said reflected electromagnetic beam energy; and a proximity calculation device directly computing locations of each of said plurality of points of said object based on said reflected electromagnetic beam energy, said proximity calculation device coupled to said demodulation device, said proximity calculation device computing said locations of said plurality of said object by determining angles of incidence of said reflected electromagnetic beam energy with respect to said electromagnetic energy detector device. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. An apparatus for improving image quality in a medical imaging system having at least one imaging surface of a scintillation detector, a gantry structure, a gantry control unit coupled to said imaging surface to precisely displace said imaging surface relative to an object and an axial track coupled to said gantry structure, said apparatus comprising:
a plurality of profile detector means for determining successive profiles of said object, each of said successive profiles associated with a particular position of said gentry structure along said axial track, said plurality of profile detector means coupled to said gentry structure so that said plurality of profile detector means are stationary with respect to said gentry structure, each of said plurality of profile detector means further comprising; an electromagnetic emission means for generating a modulated electromagnetic energy beam; sweeping means for sweeping said modulated electromagnetic energy beam across plurality of points of said object in a plane across a cranial-caudal axis of said object; a plurality of position sensitive detectors for detecting position and intensity of reflected electromagnetic energy; a plurality of focusing means, each of said plurality of focusing means having an associated position sensitive detector of said plurality of position sensitive detectors, said plurality of focusing means for focusing said reflected electromagnetic energy from said plurality of points of said object onto said plurality of position sensitive detectors; a demodulation means for demodulating said reflected electromagnetic energy; location calculation means for directly calculating spatial location of each of said plurality of points of said object by measuring an angle of incidence of said reflected electromagnetic energy from each of said plurality of points of said object with respect to a position sensitive detector, said location calculation means coupled to said demodulation means; and filter means for preventing energy not of a same wavelength as said modulated electromagnetic energy beam from entering said plurality of position sensitive detectors. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A medical imaging system for improved image quality comprising:
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a) system means comprising an imaging surface, a gantry structure, a gantry control unit coupled to said gantry structure and coupled to said imaging surface for radial movement of said imaging surface and an axial track for moving said gantry structure along a cranial-caudal axis of said object; b) a plurality of proximity detector means coupled to said gantry structure for determining successive profiles of said object, each profile of said successive profiles determined at a position of said gantry structure along said cranial-caudal axis of said object, each of said plurality of proximity detector means further comprising; 1) electromagnetic energy emission means for generating a modulated elecromagnetic energy beam; 2) sweeping means optically coupled to receive said modulated electromagnetic energy beam, said sweeping means for sweeping said modulated electromagnetic energy beam across a plurality of points of said object in a plane perpendicular to a cranial-caudal axis of said object; 3) electromagnetic energy detector means for detecting intensity and position of reflected electromagnetic beam energy; 4) focusing means for focusing said reflected electromagnetic beam energy reflected from said plurality of points of said object onto said electromagnetic energy detector means; 5) a demodulation means for demodulating said reflected electromagnetic beam energy; and 6) proxiity calculation means, coupled to said demodulation means, for directly computing locations of each of said plurality of points of said object based on said reflected electromagnetic beams energy from each of said plurality of points of said object, said proximity calculation means for computing said locations of said plurality of points of said object by computing angels of incidence of said reflected electromagnetic beam energy with respect to said electromagnetic energy detector means, wherein said proximity determination means directly computes said locations of each of said plurality of points of said object by taking an average location of a plurality of measuring location samples of each of said plurality of points of said object; and b) computer processing means coupled to said plurality of proximity detector means, said computer processing means for storing and integrating said successive profiles of said object to create a body contour database of said object. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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47. In a medical imaging system having an imaging surface of a scintillation detector a gentry structure, a gentry control unit coupled to said imaging surface for movement of said imaging surface toward an object and an axial track coupled to said gantry structure, a method for profile determination of said object to improve image quality, said method comprising the steps of:
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generating a modulated electromagnetic energy beam; sweeping said modulated electromagnetic energy beam across a plurality of points of said object in a plane across a cranial-caudal axis of said object; focusing electromagnetic beam energy reflected from said plurality of points of said object; detecting intensity and position of said focused reflected electromagnetic beam energy with a detector means; demodulating said reflected electromagnetic beam energy; filtering electromagnetic energy not of a same wavelength as said reflected electromagnetic beam energy out of said step of detecting; directly computing locations of each of said plurality of points of said object based on angles of incidence of said reflected electromagnetic beam energy reflected from said plurality of points of said object with respect to said detector means; using said locations of said plurality of points to minimize a distance between said object and imaging surface; and scanning said object with said scintillation detector to generate an image thereof. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58)
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Specification