X-ray device

• US 20050169426A1
• Filed: 11/18/2004
• Published: 08/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Homig, Mathias, Sandkamp, Bemhard, Heer, Volker, Groh, Burkhard
• Granted Patent: US 7,170,974 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 378/98.800
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/00 Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis; Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis combined with radiation therapy equipment instruments measuring radiation intensity for application in the field of nuclear medicine, e.g. in vivo counting, G01T1/161; apparatus for taking X-ray photographs G03B42/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4233 using matrix detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4266 characterised by using a plurality of detector units A61B6/4014 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/04 and forming images of the material

Abstract

The invention relates to an X-ray device (1) with an X-ray source (8) and a first X-ray detector (9, 100) for producing a first X-ray image data set of an examination object (P). The X-ray device (1) additionally comprises a second X-ray detector (20) for producing a second X-ray image data set of an examination object (P), whereby the second X-ray detector (20) has a smaller detector surface (23) than the first X-ray detector (9, 100) and is designed such that the X-ray image associated with the second X-ray image data set has a higher local resolution than the X-ray image (12) associated with the first X-ray image data set. The invention also relates to a method for producing an X-ray image data set. A first X-ray image data set of an examination object (P) is thereby produced using a first X-ray detector (9, 100), the associated X-ray image (12) is displayed using a display device (13), an area is selected in the X-ray image (12), and a second X-ray detector (20) is positioned in front of the first X-ray detector (9, 100) in such a way that a second X-ray image data set is produced, the associated X-ray image of which has a higher local resolution than the X-ray image (12) associated with the first X-ray image data set.

Claims

1-18. -18. (canceled)

19. An X-ray device, comprising:

an X-ray source;

a first X-ray detector for generating a first X-ray image data set of an object under examination; and

a second X-ray detector for generating a second X-ray image data set of the object under examination, the second X-ray detector having a smaller detecting surface than the first X-ray detector and configured to acquire the second X-ray image data set with a higher local image resolution relative to the first X-ray image data set so that a second X-ray image generated from the second X-ray image data set shows a section of a first X-ray image generated from the first X-ray image data set, the section displayed in the second image having a higher image resolution than the same section displayed in the first image.

20. The X-ray device according to claim 19, wherein the second X-ray detector is a flat panel detector.

21. The X-ray device according to claim 20, wherein the flat panel detector has detecting elements having an edge length taken from the range between 20 μ

m and 80 μ

m.

22. The X-ray device according to claim 19, wherein an area of the detecting surface of the second X-ray detector is taken from the range between 15 cm² and 100 cm².

23. The X-ray device according to claim 19, further comprising a mechanical support device for accommodating the second X-ray detector.

24. The X-ray device according to claim 19, wherein the second X-ray detector is arranged upstream of the first X-ray detector relative to a radiation direction from the X-ray source to the first and second X-ray detectors.

25. The X-ray device according to claim 19, further comprising an X-ray dose controlling unit for commonly controlling an X-ray dose detected by the first and second X-ray detectors.

26. The X-ray device according to claim 19, further comprising:

a display device for displaying the first X-ray image;

a selecting device for selecting the section of the first X-ray image displayed on the display device; and

a positioning device for positioning the second X-ray detector so that the second X-ray image includes the section.

27. The X-ray device according to claim 26, wherein the display device and the selecting device are formed by a touch screen.

28. The X-ray device according to claim 26, wherein the selecting device includes a cursor.

29. A method of generating X-ray images based on X-ray image data sets using an X-ray device having an X-ray source and first and second X-ray detectors, the method comprising:

acquiring a first X-ray image data set of an object under examination by the first X-ray detector;

displaying a first X-ray image generated from the first X-ray image data set on a display device;

selecting a section of the first X-ray image; and

aligning the second X-ray detector so that the second X-ray detector acquires a second X-ray image data set of the section, wherein a second X-ray image generated from the second X-ray image data set has a higher local image resolution than the first X-ray image relative to the section.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein the display device is a touch screen, and the section is selected by touching the touch screen.

31. The method according to claim 29, wherein the section is selected using a cursor of the display device.

32. The method according to claims 29, further comprising:

determining image coordinates of the section relative to the first X-ray image; and

aligning the second X-ray detector upstream of the first X-ray detector relative to a radiation direction from the X-ray source to the first and second X-ray detectors based on the determined image coordinates.

33. The method according to claim 29, wherein the second X-ray detector has a smaller detecting surface than the first X-ray detector.

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein the detecting surface of the second X-ray detector is taken from the range between 15 cm² and 100 cm².

35. The method according to claim 29, wherein the second X-ray detector is a flat panel detector.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein the second X-ray detector has detector elements having an edge length taken from the range between 20 μ

m and 80 μ

m.

37. The method according to claim 29, wherein the first and second image data sets are processed by a common image processing device.

38. The method according to claim 29, wherein an X-ray dose of the first and second X-ray detectors is controlled by a common X-ray dose control unit.