Long life gamma camera plate assembly with improved reflector system
First Claim
1. A gamma camera plate, comprising a large flat crystal, an optical coupler on the crystal and a large glass plate connected to the optical coupler and having a ledge extending outward beyond the crystal, a cladding surrounding a remainder of the crystal, a reflective layer surrounding the cladding, an elastomer surrounding the reflective layer, an optical coupling overlying the reflective layer, a metal plate overlying the optical coupling and the elastomer and having an extension extending outward beyond the elastomer, a main mounting ring extending around the elastomer and positioned between the metal plate extension and the glass plate ledge, a first set of complementary multiple inter-engaging barriers formed in the glass plate ledge and in the ring, epoxy disposed in the first inter-engaging barriers, a second set of complementary multiple inter-engaging barriers formed in the metal plate extension and in the ring, and epoxy disposed in the second inter-engaging barriers, a first inner recess between the glass plate ledge and the ring and desiccant disposed in the first recess, and a second recess in the ring adjacent the metal plate extension and desiccant disposed in the second recess.
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Accused Products
Abstract
This invention relates to a fabrication of a gamma camera plate assembly that has long life and improved efficiency. Cladding and reflecting layers provide improvements in crystal output. Seals prevent moisture leaks, prolonging lifetime. Multi-barrier epoxy-filled seals and desiccant-filled recesses, elastomer-filled spaces and an extra optical coupling layer provide prolonged life and improved efficiency. Exterior rings with new glass-to-metal seals and metal-to-metal seals provide strong watertight assemblies. The gamma camera plate includes a crystal having an optical cladding and a reflector surrounding the cladding. A glass mounting plate is connected to one flat surface of the crystal by an optical coupler. A mounting ring surrounds the crystal and an outer surface of the glass plate. Barriers are formed in upper and lower surfaces of the mounting ring, and complementary barriers are formed in engaging surfaces of the glass plate and of the gamma ray window plate. Recesses within the barriers hold desiccant. An elastomer fills a space between the central opening in the mounting ring and the crystal, and an optical coupler fills the space between the window and the reflector. Auxiliary rings connect an outer surface of the glass plate through glass-to-metal seals and metal-to-metal seals with the main mounting ring. Thin low heat sink rings form the final metal-to-metal seals to prevent heat transfer to the crystal.
14 Citations
52 Claims
- 1. A gamma camera plate, comprising a large flat crystal, an optical coupler on the crystal and a large glass plate connected to the optical coupler and having a ledge extending outward beyond the crystal, a cladding surrounding a remainder of the crystal, a reflective layer surrounding the cladding, an elastomer surrounding the reflective layer, an optical coupling overlying the reflective layer, a metal plate overlying the optical coupling and the elastomer and having an extension extending outward beyond the elastomer, a main mounting ring extending around the elastomer and positioned between the metal plate extension and the glass plate ledge, a first set of complementary multiple inter-engaging barriers formed in the glass plate ledge and in the ring, epoxy disposed in the first inter-engaging barriers, a second set of complementary multiple inter-engaging barriers formed in the metal plate extension and in the ring, and epoxy disposed in the second inter-engaging barriers, a first inner recess between the glass plate ledge and the ring and desiccant disposed in the first recess, and a second recess in the ring adjacent the metal plate extension and desiccant disposed in the second recess.
- 14. A gamma camera plate comprising a flat crystal, an optical coupler on one large flat surface of the crystal, a glass plate connected to the optical coupler, the glass plate having a lateral extension beyond the crystal, a metal ring surrounding the crystal and having a portion laterally extended from the crystal which lies adjacent the lateral extension of the glass plate, a portion of the lateral extension of the glass plate surrounding the crystal being doped prior to sealing with a metal dopant, a metal alloy seal engaging the doped portion of the glass plate and the metal housing.
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20. A gamma camera plate, comprising a large flat crystal, an optical coupler on the crystal and a large glass plate connected to the optical coupler and extending outward beyond the crystal, a cladding surrounding a front and a back of the crystal, and a reflective layer surrounding the cladding.
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21. A gamma camera plate, comprising a large flat crystal having a front and a back, an optical coupler on the crystal and a large glass plate connected to the optical coupler and extending outward beyond the crystal, a mounting plate surrounding the crystal and overlying the glass plate, elastomeric material surrounding the crystal within an opening in the mounting plate, a gamma ray window plate overlying the back of the crystal, and an optical coupler between the window plate and the back of the crystal.
- 22. A gamma camera plate, comprising a large flat crystal, an optical coupler on the crystal and a large glass plate connected to the optical coupler and extending outward beyond the crystal, a mounting plate surrounding the crystal and overlying the glass plate, a gamma ray window plate overlying the crystal and mounting plate, and multiple barriers comprising complementary mutually inter-engaging projections and grooves in the glass plate and mounting plate, and in the window plate and mounting plate, and epoxy disposed in the multiple barriers.
- 27. The method of constructing a gamma camera plate, comprising forming a glass plate with multi-barrier projections and grooves around a locus of a crystal, forming a mounting plate with complementary multiple projections and grooves, coating a large flat surface of a crystal with an optical coupler and coating an area on the glass plate with an optical coupler, contacting an optical coupler-coated edge of the crystal with a coated area on the glass plate, rocking the crystal into full contact with the optical coupling on the glass plate, thereby forming an optical coupling between the crystal and the glass plate without voids or bubbles, placing epoxy in grooves on one of the plates, placing the mounting plate on the glass plate and around the crystal, and pressing the inter-engaging multiple barriers together and filling the spaces between the barriers with epoxy.
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29. The method of constructing a gamma camera plate, comprising joining a first metal ring to an outer edge of a glass plate with a glass-to-metal seal, and joining a second outer ring to the first ring with a metal-to-metal seal, coating a large flat surface of a crystal with an optical coupler and coating an area on the glass plate with an optical coupler, contacting an optical coupler-coated crystal with a coated area on a glass plate, pressing the crystal into full contact with the optical coupling on the glass plate, thereby forming an optical coupling between the crystal and the glass plate without voids or bubbles, placing a mounting plate on the glass plate and around the crystal, and joining the mounting plate to the glass plate by joining a thin extension on the second outer ring and a thin extension on the mounting plate with a metal-to-metal seal.
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30. A crystal mounting having glass-to-metal seal comprising a glass plate, a metal plate adjacent the glass plate, an area of the glass plate adjacent the metal plate being doped with a metal dopant prior to sealing and an alloy compatible with the dopant contacting and sealing the metal doped area of the glass plate and the metal plate and joining the glass plate and metal plate in a glass-to-metal seal.
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31. A gamma camera plate assembly comprising a crystal, an optical coupler on the crystal, a glass plate connected to the optical coupler and extending outward beyond the crystal, a window plate overlying the crystal and having an extension extending outward beyond the crystal, a main mounting plate extending beyond the crystal and the glass plate, a first metal ring surrounding an outer surface of the glass plate, a glass-to-metal seal joining the first ring to the glass plate, the first ring having a first thin extension, a second metal ring adjacent the first ring and having a second thin extension, a first metal-to-metal seal joining the first and second thin extensions and joining the first and second metal rings, the second ring having a third thin extension and the mounting plate having a fourth thin extension, a second metal-to-metal seal joining the third and fourth extensions and joining the second ring and the mounting plate.
- 32. Apparatus comprising a crystal, an optical coupler on the crystal and a glass plate connected to the optical coupler and having a ledge extending outward beyond the crystal, a cladding surrounding a remainder of the crystal, a reflective layer surrounding the cladding, an elastomer overlying the reflective layer, a plate overlying and having an extension extending outward, a main mounting ring extending around the crystal and positioned between the extension and the ledge, a first set of complementary multiple inter-engaging barriers formed in the ledge and in the ring, epoxy disposed in the first inter-engaging barriers, a first inner recess between the ledge and the ring and desiccant disposed in the first recess.
- 38. Apparatus comprising a crystal, an optical coupler on one surface of the crystal, a glass plate connected to the optical coupler, the glass plate having a lateral extension beyond the crystal, a metal ring surrounding the crystal and having a portion laterally extended from the crystal which lies adjacent the lateral extension of the glass plate, a portion of the lateral extension of the glass plate surrounding the crystal being doped with a metal dopant prior to sealing, a metal alloy seal engaging the doped portion of the glass plate and the metal housing.
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41. Apparatus comprising a crystal, an optical coupler on the crystal and a glass plate connected to the optical coupler and extending outward beyond the crystal, a cladding surrounding a remainder of the crystal, a reflective layer surrounding the cladding, an elastomer surrounding the reflective layer, a gamma ray plate overlying the elastomer and extending outward beyond the elastomer, a metal ring extending around the elastomer between the extended gamma ray plate and the extended glass plate, a first set of multiple complementary inter-engaging barriers formed between the glass plate and the ring, and epoxy disposed in the first inter-engaging barriers, a second set of complementary inter-engaging barriers formed in the extended gamma ray plate and in the ring, and epoxy disposed between the inter-engaging barriers, a first recess between the glass plate extension and the ring and desiccant disposed in the recess, and a second recess in the ring adjacent the extended plate and desiccant disposed in the second set of recesses.
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42. Apparatus comprising a crystal having a back and a front, an optical coupler on the crystal and a glass plate connected to the optical coupler and extending outward beyond the crystal, a mounting surrounding the crystal and overlying the glass plate, elastomeric material surrounding the crystal within an opening in the mounting, a gamma ray window overlying the back of the crystal, and an optical coupler between the window plate and the back of the crystal.
- 43. Apparatus comprising a crystal, an optical coupler on the crystal and a glass plate connected to the optical coupler and extending outward beyond the crystal, a mounting surrounding the crystal and overlying the glass plate, a gamma ray window overlying the crystal and mounting, and multiple barriers comprising complementary mutually inter-engaging projections and grooves in the glass plate and mounting plate, and in the window and mounting plate, and epoxy disposed in the multiple barriers.
- 48. The method of constructing a detector, comprising forming a glass plate with multi-barrier projections and grooves around a locus of a crystal, forming a mounting plate with complementary multiple projections and grooves, coating a surface of a crystal with an optical coupler and coating an area on the glass plate with an optical coupler, contacting an edge of the optical coupler-coated surface of the crystal with a coated area on the glass plate, rocking the crystal into full contact with the optical coupling on the glass plate, thereby forming an optical coupling between the crystal and the glass plate without voids or bubbles, placing epoxy in grooves on one of the plates, placing the mounting plate on the glass plate and around the crystal, and pressing the inter-engaging multiple barriers together and filling the spaces between the barriers with epoxy.
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50. The method of constructing a detector, comprising joining a first metal ring to an outer edge of a glass plate with a glass-to-metal seal, and joining a second outer ring to the first ring with a metal-to-metal seal, coating a surface of a crystal with an optical coupler and coating an area on the glass plate with an optical coupler, contacting an optical coupler-coated crystal with a coated area on a glass plate, pressing the crystal into full contact with the optical coupling on the glass plate, thereby forming an optical coupling between the crystal and the glass plate without voids or bubbles, placing a mounting on the glass plate and around the crystal, and joining the mounting to the glass plate by joining a thin extension on the second outer ring and a thin extension on the mounting with a metal-to-metal seal.
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51. An assembly comprising a crystal, an optical coupler on the crystal, a glass plate connected to the optical coupler and extending outward beyond the crystal, a window plate overlying the crystal and having an extension extending outward beyond the crystal, a main mounting plate extending beyond the crystal and the glass plate, a first metal ring surrounding an outer surface of the glass plate, a glass-to-metal seal joining the first ring to the glass plate, the first ring having a first thin extension, a second metal ring adjacent the first ring and having a second thin extension, a first metal-to-metal seal joining the first and second thin extensions and joining the first and second metal rings, the second ring having a third thin extension and the mounting having a fourth thin extension, a second metal-to-metal seal joining the third and fourth extensions and joining the second ring and the mounting.
Specification