# US 10,371,829 B2 · X-ray detector and X-ray CT apparatus

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- Number: US 10,371,829 B2
- Document ID: US10371829B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/332,118
- Filed: 2016-10-24
- Published: 2017-07-20
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2016-01-20
- Assignees: Canon Medical Systems Corporation
- Applicants: Canon Medical Systems Corporation
- Inventors: Akira Nishijima; Michito Nakayama; Atsushi Hashimoto; Takaya Umehara; Shuya Nambu; Hiroaki Miyazaki
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10371829B2

## CPC

- G01T 1/20182: {Modular detectors, e.g. tiled scintillators or tiled photodiodes (stacked detectors G01T1/20181)}
- A61B 6/032: {Transmission computed tomography [CT]}
- A61B 6/4233: {using matrix detectors}
- G01T 1/20187: {Position of the scintillator with respect to the photodiode, e.g. photodiode surrounding the crystal, the crystal surrounding the photodiode, shape or size of the scintillator}
- H10F 39/1892: {Direct radiation image sensors}
- G01T: MEASUREMENT OF NUCLEAR OR X-RADIATION (radiation analysis of materials, mass spectrometry G01N23/00; tubes for determining the presence, intensity, density or energy of radiation or particles H01J47/00)
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION

## Abstract

An X-ray detector according to an embodiment includes a scintillator array and a photodiode array. In the scintillator array, a plurality of scintillators are arranged in a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction. The photodiode array includes photodiodes each of which is installed for a different one of the scintillators and each of which has an active area configured to convert visible light emitted by the scintillator into an electrical signal. The photodiodes are arranged in such a manner that the widths of the active areas are equal to one another in the first direction.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An X-ray detector, comprising:
a scintillator array in which a plurality of scintillators are arranged in a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction; and
a photodiode array including photodiodes, each of which is installed for a different one of the scintillators and each of which has an active area configured to convert visible light emitted by the scintillator into an electrical signal, wherein
the photodiodes in the photodiode array are arranged in such a manner that widths of the active areas in the first direction are equal to one another; and
widths of the active areas in the second direction increase from an end part of the photodiode array toward a center thereof.

### Claim 2

An X-ray CT apparatus, comprising:
an X-ray tube that radiates X-rays onto a subject; and
an X-ray detector that includes a scintillator array in which a plurality of scintillators configured to convert the X-rays into visible light are arranged in a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction and a photodiode array including photodiodes each of which is installed for a different one of the scintillators and each of which has an active area configured to convert the visible light into an electrical signal, wherein
the photodiodes are arranged in such a manner that widths of the active areas in the first direction are equal to one another, while a difference in the width between any two of the active areas positioned adjacent to each other in the second direction is within a predetermined range; and
widths of the active areas in the second direction increase from an end part of the photodiode array toward a center thereof.

### Claim 3

An X-ray detector, comprising:
a scintillator array in which a plurality of scintillators are arranged in a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction; and
a photodiode array including photodiodes, each of which is installed for a different one of the scintillators and each of which has an active area configured to convert visible light emitted by the scintillator into an electrical signal, wherein
the photodiodes in the photodiode array are arranged in such a manner that widths of the active areas in the first direction are equal to one another;
widths of the photodiodes in the first direction decrease from an end part of the photodiode array toward a center thereof; and
widths of the active areas in the second direction increase from an end part of the photodiode array toward a center thereof.