# US 12,213,826 B2 · Systems and methods for determining true coincidence events

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- Number: US 12,213,826 B2
- Document ID: US12213826B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/450,837
- Filed: 2021-10-14
- Published: 2022-02-03
- Granted: 2025-02-04
- Earliest claimed: 2019-04-15
- Assignees: Shanghai United Imaging Healthcare Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Shanghai United Imaging Healthcare Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Jun Li; Wei Zheng; Longzi Yang; Shitao Liu
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12213826B2

## CPC

- A61B 6/5205: {involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data}
- A61B 6/037: {Emission tomography}
- A61B 6/4266: {characterised by using a plurality of detector units (A61B6/4014 takes precedence)}
- G01T 1/2985: {In depth localisation, e.g. using positron emitters; Tomographic imaging (longitudinal and transverse section imaging; apparatus for radiation diagnosis sequentially in different planes, steroscopic radiation diagnosis); (using external radiation sources A61B6/02)}
- G06T 12/10: Image preprocessing, e.g. calibration, positioning of sources or scatter correction
- G04F 10/005: {Time-to-digital converters [TDC] (analog-to-digital converters with intermediate conversion to time or phase H03M1/50, H03M1/60)}
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- 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)
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
- G04F: TIME-INTERVAL MEASURING (measuring pulse characteristics G01R, e.g. G01R29/02; in radar or like systems G01S)

## Abstract

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for determining true coincidence events. The systems and methods may determine original coincidence events based on time of occurrence of a plurality of single events. The systems and methods may also determine random coincidence events by processing the plurality of single events based on cycle offsets of detector units that detect the plurality of single events. A difference of any two cycle offsets may be greater than a predetermined coincidence window width. The systems and methods may then determine the true coincidence events based on the original coincidence events and the random coincidence events.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A device for determining coincidence events in a PET system, comprising:
one or more detector rings; and
one or more coincidence modules, each coincidence module corresponding to one of the one or more detector rings, and the one or more coincidence modules are connected in one-to-one correspondence with the one or more detector rings, respectively, the one or more coincidence modules being configured to determine coincidence events based on single events detected by the one or more detector rings, wherein:
the coincidence events determined by a coincidence module include first coincidence events and second coincidence events, wherein:
a first coincidence event includes two first single events that are corresponding to each other, and
a second coincidence event includes a first single event and a second single event, the first single event being a single event from a detector ring corresponding to the coincidence module and the second single event being a single event from a detector ring not corresponding to the coincidence module.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the coincidence module includes a first coincidence unit and a second coincidence unit, wherein:
the first coincidence unit is configured to obtain multiple first single events and determine multiple first coincidence events based on the multiple first single events; and
the second coincidence unit is configured to obtain multiple first single events and multiple second single events and determine multiple second coincidence events based on the multiple first single events and the multiple second signal events.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The device of claim 2, wherein the second coincidence events are true coincidence events, wherein to determine multiple second coincidence events, the second coincidence unit is further configured to:
determine original coincidence events based on the occurrence time of the first single events and the second single events;
determine random coincidence events by processing the first single events and the second single events based on cycle offsets of detector units that detect the first single events and the second single events, wherein the difference between any two cycle offsets is greater than a predetermined coincidence window width; and
determine the true coincidence events based on the original coincidence events and the random coincidence events.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The device of claim 3, wherein each cycle offset is an integer multiple of a clock cycle, and the cycle offsets are different from each other.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The device of claim 3, wherein the cycle offset of each detector unit includes a coded value of the detector unit and a parameter value of the detector unit, the coded values of different detector units are different.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, further comprising at least one reconstruction module, wherein the at least one reconstruction module is connected to the one or more coincidence modules and is configured to receive the coincidence events and reconstruct an image based on the coincidence events.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The device of claim 6, further comprising a control and transmission module, wherein the control and transmission module is disposed between the one or more coincidence modules and the at least one reconstruction module and is configured to receive the coincidence events and transmit the coincidence events to the at least one reconstruction module.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The device of claim 7, further comprising a control module, wherein the control module is connected to the control and transmission module and is configured to transmit an instruction to the control and transmission module.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, further comprising an interconnection module connected to the one or more coincidence modules, wherein the interconnection module is configured to store the single events detected by the one or more detector rings, and a coincidence module is configured to obtain second single events from the interconnection module.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more coincidence modules are further configured to determine a second coincident event by:
obtaining a cycle difference between a first clock cycle at which the first single event of the second coincidence event occurs and a second clock cycle at which the second single event of the second coincidence event occurs;
obtaining a first time-to-digital converter (TDC) value of the first single event and a second TDC value of the second single event;
determining a time difference between a time of occurrence of the first single event and a time of occurrence of the second single event based on the cycle difference, the first TDC value, and the second TDC value; and
in response to a determination that the time difference is less than the predetermined coincidence window width, determine the first single event and the second single event as the second coincident event.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The device of claim 10, wherein the first clock cycle and the second clock cycle are in difference clock cycles.

### Claim 12

A method for determining true coincidence events, implemented on a computing device including at least one processor, at least one storage device, and a communication platform connected to a network, comprising:
determining original coincidence events based on time of occurrence of a plurality of single events;
determining random coincidence events by processing the plurality of single events based on cycle offsets of detector units that detect the plurality of single events, wherein a difference of any two cycle offsets is greater than a predetermined coincidence window width; and
determining the true coincidence events based on the original coincidence events and the random coincidence events, wherein the determining original coincidence events comprises:
obtaining a cycle difference between a first clock cycle at which a first single event occurs and a second clock cycle at which a second single event occurs;
obtaining a first time-to-digital converter (TDC) value of the first single event and a second TDC value of the second single event;
determining a time difference between a time of occurrence of the first single event and a time of occurrence of the second single event based on the cycle difference, the first TDC value, and the second TDC value; and
in response to a determination that the time difference is less than the predetermined coincidence window width, determining the first single event and the second single event as an original coincidence event.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the determining random coincidence events by processing the plurality of single events based on cycle offsets of detector units that detect the plurality of single events comprises:
for each single event of the plurality of single events,
obtaining a cycle offset of a detector unit that detect the single event;
adjusting the time of occurrence of the single event by increasing the cycle offset to the time of occurrence of the single event; and
determining the random coincidence events based on the adjustment of the time of occurrence of each single event.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the cycle offset of the detector unit includes a coded value of the detector unit and a parameter value of the detector unit, wherein the coded values of different detector units are different.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the parameter value of the detector unit is an integer multiple of a clock cycle and is greater than the predetermined coincidence window width.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of single events are detected by one or more detector rings, and each of the one or more detector rings includes a plurality of detector units, wherein the coded value of a detector unit is expressed as m*X+Y, wherein m refers to the number of detector units of a detector ring, X refers to the serial number of detector ring, Y refers to the serial number of detector unit.

### Claim 17 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the determining a time difference between the time of occurrence of the first single event and the time of occurrence of the second single event comprises:
determining a sequence that the first single event and the second single event occurs based on the cycle difference;
determining a time difference determination formula based on the sequence; and
determining the time difference between the time of occurrence of the first single event and the time of occurrence of the second single event according to the time difference determination formula.

### Claim 18 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, further comprising:
outputting the original coincidence event, which includes a time, an energy level, a location of the first single event and/or the second single event.

### Claim 19

A system for determining true coincidence events, comprising:
at least one storage device including a set of instructions;
at least one processor in communication with the at least one storage device, wherein when executing the set of instructions, the at least one processor is configured to cause the system to:
determine original coincidence events based on time of occurrence of a plurality of single events;
determine random coincidence events by processing the plurality of single events based on cycle offsets of detector units that detect the plurality of single events, wherein a difference of any two cycle offsets is greater than a predetermined coincidence window width; and
determine the true coincidence events based on the original coincidence events and the random coincidence events, wherein to determine original coincidence events, the at least one processor is further configured to cause the system to:
obtain a cycle difference between a first clock cycle at which a first single event occurs and a second clock cycle at which a second single event occurs;
obtain a first time-to-digital converter (TDC) value of the first single event and a second TDC value of the second single event;
determine a time difference between a time of occurrence of the first single event and a time of occurrence of the second single event based on the cycle difference, the first TDC value, and the second TDC value; and
in response to a determination that the time difference is less than the predetermined coincidence window width, determine the first single event and the second single event as an original coincidence event.