Multiple sensor position locating system
First Claim
1. A system for locating a position of a source of a detectable emittance, the system comprising:
- a plurality of sensors arranged in a predetermined configuration with respect to one another, each for detecting the detectable emittance and producing at an associated output thereof a respective sensor signal having a sensor signal value which is substantially responsive to the detectable emittance impinging on said associated sensor;
memory means for storing a plurality of weighting values, each associated with a respective one of said sensors, said weighting values being responsive to a sensor response characteristic of said associated one of said sensors and corresponding to a predetermined distance value;
arithmetic combiner means having a first input for receiving at least one of said sensor signals, and a second input for receiving a weighting value from said memory means, for producing at an output thereof a composite weighted signal having a composite weighted signal value responsive to said sensor signal value and said weighting value, said weighted signal values being established in accordance with the relationship;
##EQU5## and position encoder means for producing a position value responsive to said composite weighted signal value.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for locating the position of a source of a detachable emittance is particularly adapted for locating the position of a scintillation event in a scintillation crystal which has arranged adjacent thereto a plurality of photomultiplier tubes arranged in a predetermined configuration for detecting the scintillation event. In a single photon emission computer tomography (SPECT) embodiment, a system which utilizes the present invention is initialized by storing weighting factors which are derived from placing a source of radiation in a plurality of known locations. The output values of the photomultiplier tubes are stored in a calibration file and subjected to a mathematical process to produce the weighting factors which are subsequently stored in a memory. During operation of the system, the signal values from the photomultiplier tubes are combined with the weighting factors to produce weighted signals which are then summed together to produce a composite weighted signal. The addresses of the weighting factors are correlated to position information; the correct position information being determined in response to the composite weighted signal assuming a predetermined value.
9 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A system for locating a position of a source of a detectable emittance, the system comprising:
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a plurality of sensors arranged in a predetermined configuration with respect to one another, each for detecting the detectable emittance and producing at an associated output thereof a respective sensor signal having a sensor signal value which is substantially responsive to the detectable emittance impinging on said associated sensor; memory means for storing a plurality of weighting values, each associated with a respective one of said sensors, said weighting values being responsive to a sensor response characteristic of said associated one of said sensors and corresponding to a predetermined distance value; arithmetic combiner means having a first input for receiving at least one of said sensor signals, and a second input for receiving a weighting value from said memory means, for producing at an output thereof a composite weighted signal having a composite weighted signal value responsive to said sensor signal value and said weighting value, said weighted signal values being established in accordance with the relationship;
##EQU5## and position encoder means for producing a position value responsive to said composite weighted signal value. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An arrangement for locating a position of a scintillation event in a predetermined region, the arrangement comprising:
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a plurality of photomultiplier elements (PME) arranged in an array configuration with respect to one another, each for detecting the scintillation event and producing a PME signal having a PME signal value which is related to a distance between said PME and the scintillation event; weighting means for applying a respectively associated plurality of weighting values to at least selected ones of said PME signal values to produce a corresponding plurality of weighted PME signal values, said weighting values being responsive to a response characteristic of said respectively associated selected ones of said PMEs, and established in accordance with the relationship;
##EQU6## summing means for combining said weighted PME signal values to produce a composite PME signal; andcorrelator means for correlating said plurality of weighting values to distance values whereby a distance value of the scintillation event is selected when said composite PME signal assumes a predetermined value. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of determining a position of a source of a detectable emittance, the method comprising the steps of:
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receiving a plurality of sensor signals, each having a sensor signal value responsive to the detectable emittance, from a respective plurality of sensors arranged in a predetermined configuration with respect to one another; combining said sensor signal values with respectively associated weighting factors responsive to sensor response characteristics of said respective plurality of said sensors and to corresponding predetermined distance values, to produce a plurality of weighted sensor signal values, said weighting factors being produced in accordance with the relationship;
##EQU7## further combining said weighted sensor signal values to form a composite weighted sensor signal having an associated composite weighted sensor signal value; andcorrelating said weighting factors with respectively associated position information. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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Specification