Focal spot shape for computed tomography
AssigneeThe Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
InventorsNorbert J. Pelc, Adam S. Wang
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Abstract
An x-ray apparatus includes an x-ray source capable of producing an x-ray beam with a focal spot having a spatial shape that is selected to pre-amplify predetermined spatial frequencies exceeding half a cutoff frequency as compared to spatial frequencies below half the cutoff frequency; an x-ray detector capable of detecting the x-ray beam; and a processor adapted to reconstruct an image from the detected x-ray beam using a filter that compensates the pre-amplified predetermined spatial frequencies. The spatial shape comprises two or more disconnected regions that preferably have widths less than that of a nominal focal spot, combined widths greater than or equal to that of a nominal focal spot, and are separated by less than three times a width of a nominal focal spot.
Claims11
An x-ray apparatus comprising:
- an x-ray source capable of producing an x-ray beam with a focal spot having a spatial shape that is selected to pre-amplify predetermined spatial frequencies exceeding half a cutoff frequency as compared to spatial frequencies below half the cutoff frequency;
- an x-ray detector capable of detecting the x-ray beam;
- a processor adapted to reconstruct an image from the detected x-ray beam using a filter that compensates the pre-amplified predetermined spatial frequencies.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.