Imaging system with silicon photomultipliers and method for operating thereof
AssigneeEcole Polytechnique Federale De Lausanne (Epfl)
InventorsAndrada Alexandra Muntean, Edoardo Charbon
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Abstract
The present invention relates to an integrated imaging system. The integrated imaging system includes an array of analog photomultiplier elements. The integrated imaging system includes a plurality of submodules, each submodule having a number of the photomultiplier elements. The integrated imaging system includes a plurality of time-to-digital converters each associated and coupled with one of the submodules. The plurality of time-to-digital converters are configured to provide a respective timing information.
Claims15
An integrated imaging system comprising:
- an array of analog photomultiplier elements;
- a plurality of submodules, each submodule having a number of the photomultiplier elements;
- and
- a plurality of time-to-digital converters each associated and coupled with one of the submodules, wherein the plurality of time-to-digital converters are configured to provide a respective timing information;
- wherein each of the photomultiplier elements of each submodule has a photodiode, wherein a fast terminal is provided for each submodule, wherein the fast terminal is coupled, particularly via a respective capacitor, with the intermediate nodes of all of the photomultiplier elements of the respective submodule, wherein the intermediate node is provided between the respective photodiode and the respective resistor, wherein the fast terminal is connected with the corresponding time-to-digital converter.
An integrated imaging system comprising:
- an array of analog photomultiplier elements;
- a plurality of submodules, each submodule having a number of the photomultiplier elements;
- and
- a plurality of time-to-digital converters each associated and coupled with one of the submodules, wherein the plurality of time-to-digital converters are configured to provide a respective timing information;
- wherein each of the plurality of time-to-digital converters has a ring oscillator to provide a periodic signal used for incrementing a counter during a sampling period, wherein the counter provides most significant bits of the timing information, wherein a correction unit is provided which is configured to determine a missed count of the counter and to provide a first correction bit for adding to the counter value.
An integrated imaging system comprising:
- an array of analog photomultiplier elements;
- a plurality of submodules, each submodule having a number of the photomultiplier elements;
- and
- a plurality of time-to-digital converters each associated and coupled with one of the submodules, wherein the plurality of time-to-digital converters are configured to provide a respective timing information;
- wherein each of the plurality of time-to-digital converters has a ring oscillator to provide a periodic signal used for incrementing a counter during a sampling period, wherein the counter provides the most significant bits of the timing information, wherein a correction unit is provided which is configured to determine an additional count of the counter and to provide a second correction bit for subtracting from the counter value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.