X-ray chopper wheel assembly and method
AssigneeViken Detection Corporation
InventorPeter J. Rothschild
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An x-ray chopper wheel assembly includes a disk chopper wheel and a source-side scatter plate that has a solid cross-sectional area that absorbs x-ray radiation and is substantially smaller than a solid cross-sectional area of the disk chopper wheel. The assembly also includes a support structure that secures the source-side scatter plate substantially parallel to the disk chopper wheel, with a source-side gap between the scatter plate and the disk chopper wheel being a distance that substantially prevents x-ray leakage. An additional, output-side scatter plate may also be provided to reduce x-ray leakage further. Embodiments enable safe operation while significantly reducing weight, which is advantageous for a variety of disk-chopper-wheel-based x-ray scanning systems, especially hand-held x-ray scanners.
Claims30
An x-ray chopper wheel assembly comprising:
- a chopper wheel (i) defining at least one opening, configured to pass x-ray radiation from an x-ray source at a source side of the chopper wheel to an output side of the chopper wheel, and (ii) having a solid cross-sectional area in a rotation plane thereof, the chopper wheel configured to absorb x-ray radiation from the x-ray source;
- and
- a plate having a solid cross-sectional area, in a plane parallel to the rotation plane of the chopper wheel, that is substantially smaller than the solid cross-sectional area of the chopper wheel, the plate disposed in a plane substantially parallel to the rotation plane of the chopper wheel and arranged relative to the chopper wheel to substantially confine x-ray radiation scattered therefrom by absorbing the x-ray radiation scattered from the chopper wheel, such that a requirement for a housing enclosure to shield the x-ray radiation scattered from the chopper wheel is avoided.
A method of confining x-ray radiation to be scattered from an x-ray chopper wheel, the method comprising:
- configuring the chopper wheel (i) to pass x-ray radiation from an x-ray source at a source side of the chopper wheel to an output side of the chopper wheel and (ii) a solid cross-sectional area, in a rotation plane thereof, configured to absorb x-ray radiation from the x-ray source;
- providing a plate, having a solid cross-sectional area substantially smaller than the solid cross-sectional area of the chopper wheel;
- and
- disposing the plate in a plane substantially parallel to the rotation plane of the chopper wheel and arranged relative to the chopper wheel to substantially confine x-ray radiation scattered therefrom by absorbing the x-ray radiation scattered from the chopper wheel, such that a requirement for a housing enclosure to shield the x-ray radiation scattered from the chopper wheel is avoided.
A method of confining x-ray radiation to be scattered from an x-ray chopper wheel, the method comprising:
- passing x-ray radiation from an x-ray source at a source side of the x-ray chopper wheel to an output side of the chopper wheel through at least one opening defined by the chopper wheel;
- absorbing x-ray radiation from the x-ray source at a solid cross-sectional area of the chopper wheel in a rotation plane thereof;
- and
- substantially confining x-ray radiation scattered from the chopper wheel, by using a plate disposed in a plane substantially parallel to the rotation plane and having a solid cross-sectional area substantially smaller than the solid cross-sectional area of the chopper wheel, by the plate absorbing the x-ray radiation scattered from the chopper wheel, such that a requirement for a housing enclosure to shield the x-ray radiation scattered from the chopper wheel is avoided.
An x-ray chopper wheel assembly comprising:
- a chopper wheel (i) defining at least one opening, configured to pass x-ray radiation from an x-ray source at a source side of the chopper wheel to an output side of the chopper wheel, and (ii) having a solid cross-sectional area in a rotation plane thereof, the chopper wheel configured to absorb x-ray radiation from the x-ray source;
- and
- a plate having a solid cross-sectional area, in a plane parallel to the rotation plane of the chopper wheel, that is substantially smaller than the solid cross-sectional area of the chopper wheel, the plate disposed in a plane substantially parallel to the rotation plane of the chopper wheel and arranged relative to the chopper wheel to limit x-ray radiation scattered therefrom to no more than 10% of scattered radiation.
An x-ray chopper wheel assembly comprising:
- a chopper wheel (i) defining at least one opening, configured to pass x-ray radiation from an x-ray source at a source side of the chopper wheel to an output side of the chopper wheel, and (ii) having a solid cross-sectional area in a rotation plane thereof, the chopper wheel configured to absorb x-ray radiation from the x-ray source;
- and
- a plate having a solid cross-sectional area, in a plane parallel to the rotation plane of the chopper wheel, that is substantially smaller than the solid cross-sectional area of the chopper wheel, the plate disposed in a plane substantially parallel to the rotation plane of the chopper wheel and arranged relative to the chopper wheel to limit leakage of x-ray radiation scattered therefrom to a dose of no more than 0.5 milli-Rem per hour at a distance of 5 cm away from an outer surface of the assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.