Semiconductor gamma-ray camera and medical imaging system
DCFirst Claim
1. An imaging system including a plurality of detection modules, each having an exposure surface, a surface opposite the exposure surface, and a plurality of sides, the exposure surface being substantially covered with radiation detecting material, the plurality of detection modules forming at least a 3×
- 3 array, with each interior detection module of the array being butted on all sides with adjacent detection modules such that the butted detection modules are not positioned generally in a first direction and the interior detection modules have substantially no surrounding dead regions, each detection module including at least one semiconductor detection element for producing electrical pulses indicative of the energy of radiation from high-energy photons impinging on the exposure surface from generally the first direction.
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Abstract
A high-energy photon imaging system including an imaging head, a signal processor, a data acquisition system and an image processing computer. The imaging head includes a detector including a plurality of closely-packed detection modules. Each detection module includes a plurality of detection elements mounted to a circuit carrier. The detection elements produce electrical pulses having amplitudes indicative of the magnitude of radiation absorbed by the detection elements. The circuit carrier includes channels for conditioning and processing the signals generated by corresponding detection elements and for preparing the processed signals for further processing by a signal processor. Each conditioning and processing channel stores the amplitudes of the detection element electrical pulses exceeding a predetermined threshold. The detection modules employ a fall-through circuit which automatically finds only those detection elements that have a stored pulse amplitude exceeding the threshold. The fall-through circuit searches for the next detection element and associated channel having a valid event. The signal processor performs diagnostics, gain normalization, and response efficiency normalization functions. The data acquisition system controls the acquisition and processing of data received from the conditioning and processing channels, produces image data based upon the data in a format that is compatible with existing imaging cameras, and transmits the data to the image processing computer. The image processing computer formulates images based upon the processed signals and displays the formulated images on a display device.
102 Citations
21 Claims
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1. An imaging system including a plurality of detection modules, each having an exposure surface, a surface opposite the exposure surface, and a plurality of sides, the exposure surface being substantially covered with radiation detecting material, the plurality of detection modules forming at least a 3×
- 3 array, with each interior detection module of the array being butted on all sides with adjacent detection modules such that the butted detection modules are not positioned generally in a first direction and the interior detection modules have substantially no surrounding dead regions, each detection module including at least one semiconductor detection element for producing electrical pulses indicative of the energy of radiation from high-energy photons impinging on the exposure surface from generally the first direction.
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
Specification