Apparatus and associated methods for computed tomography
AssigneeNokia Technologies Oy
InventorMartti Voutilainen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus, method and computer program for operating an apparatus. The apparatus comprises: a scintillator and an array of photodetectors; the scintillator configured to be rotatable around the periphery of a computed tomography scanner, the scintillator configured to receive X-rays incident on the scintillator, convert the received X-rays to visible light and transmit the visible light towards a corresponding photodetector of the array of photodetectors; and the array of photodetectors fixed around the periphery of the computed tomography scanner, each of the photodetectors in the array of photodetectors configured to output an electrical signal in response to detecting the visible light received from the scintillator.
Claims20
An apparatus comprising:
- a scintillator and an array of photodetectors;
- the scintillator configured to be rotatable around an inner periphery of a computed tomography scanner, the scintillator configured to receive X-rays incident on the scintillator, convert the received X-rays to visible light and transmit the visible light towards a corresponding photodetector of the array of photodetectors;
- and
- the array of photodetectors fixed around the inner periphery of the computed tomography scanner between the scintillator and the inner periphery, each of the photodetectors in the array of photodetectors configured to output an electrical signal in response to detecting the visible light received from the scintillator.
A method comprising:
- receiving, using a scintillator configured to be rotatable around the an inner periphery of a computed tomography scanner, X-rays incident on the scintillator;
- converting, using the scintillator, the received X-rays to visible light for transmission;
- transmitting, using the scintillator, the visible light for detection;
- detecting the transmitted visible light at a corresponding photodetector of an array of photodetectors fixed around the inner periphery of the computed tomography scanner between the scintillator and the inner periphery, each of the photodetectors in the array of photodetectors configured to output an electrical signal in response to detecting the visible light received from the scintillator.
A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer program code stored thereon, the non-transitory computer readable medium and computer program code being configured to, when run on at least one processor, control the operation of an apparatus, the apparatus comprising:
- a scintillator and an array of photodetectors;
- the scintillator configured to be rotatable around an inner periphery of a computed tomography scanner, the scintillator configured to receive X-rays incident on the scintillator, convert the received X-rays to visible light and transmit the visible light towards a corresponding photodetector of the array of photodetectors;
- and
- the array of photodetectors fixed around the inner periphery of the computed tomography scanner between the scintillator and the inner periphery, each of the photodetectors in the array of photodetectors configured to output an electrical signal in response to detecting the visible light received from the scintillator;
- the control providing for one or more of:
- reception by the scintillator of X-rays incident on the scintillator;
- conversion, by the scintillator, of the received X-rays to visible light for transmission;
- transmission, by the scintillator, of the visible light for detection;
- and
- detection of the transmitted visible light at a corresponding photodetector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.