System for quantitative radiographic imaging
First Claim
1. An apparatus for examining soft tissue of a patient comprising:
- an x-ray radiation source emitting radiation which is directed through the soft tissue;
a scintillator receiving radiation transmitted through the soft tissue and generating an optical signal correlated with the received radiation and directing the optical signal along a first optical path;
an optical surface receiving the optical signal along the first optical path and redirecting the optical signal along a second optical path;
a binning charge couple device (CCD) that is optically coupled to the optical surface to receive the optical sign along the second optically path at a plurality of pixels and generate an electronic representation of the soft tissue; and
a CCD controller that is electrically connected to the CCD such that the CCD controller bins charge from separate pixels for readout to a data storage device.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for spectroscopic imaging of bodily tissue in which a scintillation screen and a charged coupled device (CCD) are used to accurately image selected tissue. An x-ray source generates x-rays which pass through a region of a subject'"'"'s body, forming an x-ray image which reaches the scintillation screen. The scintillation screen reradiates a spatial intensity pattern corresponding to the image, the pattern being detected by a CCD sensor. The image is digitized by the sensor and processed by a controller before being stored as an electronic image. Each image is directed onto an associated respective CCD or amorphous silicon detector to generate individual electronic representations of the separate images.
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Citations
68 Claims
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1. An apparatus for examining soft tissue of a patient comprising:
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an x-ray radiation source emitting radiation which is directed through the soft tissue; a scintillator receiving radiation transmitted through the soft tissue and generating an optical signal correlated with the received radiation and directing the optical signal along a first optical path; an optical surface receiving the optical signal along the first optical path and redirecting the optical signal along a second optical path; a binning charge couple device (CCD) that is optically coupled to the optical surface to receive the optical sign along the second optically path at a plurality of pixels and generate an electronic representation of the soft tissue; and a CCD controller that is electrically connected to the CCD such that the CCD controller bins charge from separate pixels for readout to a data storage device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An apparatus for examining soft tissue of patient comprising:
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an x-ray radiation source emitting radiation which is directed through the soft tissue; a scintillator receiving x-ray radiation transmitted through the tissue and generating an optical signal correlated with the received radiation and directing the optical signal along a first optical path; a mirror transparent to the radiation transmitted through the tissue located between the scintillator and the radiation source, said mirror receiving the optical signal from the scintillator and reflecting the optical signal along a second optical path; a binning charge coupled device (CCD) that is optically coupled to the mirror to receive the optical signal along second optical path at a plurality of pixels and generate an electronic representation of the soft tissue; a CCD controller that is electrically connected to the CCD such the CCD controller bins charge from separate pixel readout to a data storage device; and a lens between the scintillator and the CCD along the second optical path, the lens focusing the optical signal onto the CCD. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A method of examining soft tissue in a patient comprising:
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positioning the soft tissue of the patient between an x-ray radiation source and a scintillator; directing radiation emitted by the radiation source through the soft tissue; receiving radiation with the scintillator that is transmitted through the soft tissue and generating an optical signal correlated with the received received radiation and directing the optical signal along a first optical path; redirecting the optical signal along second optical path receiving the optical signal along second optical path a plurality of pixels of a binning charge coupled device (CCD); binning charge from separate of the CCD for readout with a CCD controller that is electrically connected to the CCD; generating a first electronic representation of the soft tissue; and rotating the CCD relative to the soft tissue and generation a second electronic representation of the soft tissue. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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45. A method of examining soft tissue of a patient comprising:
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directing radiation emitted by the radiation source through the soft tissue; directing radiation transmitted through the soft tissue through a mirror transparent to the radiation; receiving the radiation with a scintillator that is transmitted through the mirror and generating an optical signal correlated with the received radiation and directing the optical signal back toward the mirror along a first optical path; redirecting the optical signal along a second optical path with the mirror; focusing the optical signal along the second optical path; receiving the focused optical signal along the second optical path at a plurality of pixels of a charge coupled device (CCD); binning charge from separate pixels of the CCD, the CCD being electrically connected to a CCD controller; and performing readout of the CCD to form a binned electronic representation of the soft tissue. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57)
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58. A method of imaging soft tissue in a patient comprising:
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providing an x-ray radiation source such that radiation emitted by the source is transmitted through a patient'"'"'s soft tissue onto a scintillator; providing an integrated silicon circuit sensor having a two dimensional array of pixel elements that detect light from the scintillator that is emitted in response to radiation from the x-ray source; positioning a region of soft tissue the patient on a support surface; directing x-ray radiation through through the region of the patient'"'"'s soft tissue onto the scintillator which emits a spatial intensity pattern of light that is detected by the sensor, the spatial intensity pattern being coupled to the sensor with a non-intensified optical system; binning charge from separate pixel elements of the sensor for readout with an electronic controller; and forming an image of the soft tissue from the binned representation. - View Dependent Claims (59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68)
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Specification