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US 2002/0117625 A1Published application
Fiber optic enhanced scintillator detector
OwnerKiril A. Pandelisevinventor
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OwnerKiril A. Pandelisevinventor
Estimating the term…
The new scintillators are connected at one or more points or on one or more sides or faces, or on any or all sides to conductors which are collimators, lenses or fiber ends. Optical fibers in cables conduct the photons generated by the crystal scintillators to photon-actuated devices. The devices may be mounted near the crystal scintillators or remote from the crystal scintillators, for example on surfaces near drilled wells or exploration holes. The crystals or scintillators have any of several cross-sections. Down hole detectors or detectors used in other adverse conditions are ruggedized, with rugged flexible outer cases which are transparent to the looked-for energy, particles or rays, gamma rays for example. Inner scintillator construction of multiple aligned or angularly related scintillators connected to optical fiber ends allow bending, twisting and flexing without damaging scintillator arrays, individual scintillators, lenses or fiber optic connections. Optical fibers are connected to optical couplers on gamma camera plate scintillators to transmit patterns of photons through optical fiber cables to remote reading, storing or detecting sites. Illumination of remote sites is provided by fibers that parallel the photon conducting fibers. One or more optical fibers illuminates the site being studied by the scintillator, and one or more optical fibers return images of the site to a viewer screen or recorder.
Fiber optic enhanced scintillator apparatus, comprising a scintillator for producing photons upon being energized by particles, energy or rays, the scintillator further comprising a scintillator body made of scintillator material, surfaces on the body for directing photons toward a photon output, single or multiple light-conducting optical fibers having proximal and distal ends, and proximal ends of the fibers connected to the output for receiving photons from the output.
Fiber optic enhanced scintillator method, comprising providing a scintillator body made of scintillator material, providing surfaces on the body for directing photons toward a photon output, providing single or multiple light-conducting optical fibers having proximal and distal ends, connecting proximal ends of the optical fibers to the output for receiving photons from the output, and producing photons upon a scintillator being energized by subatomic particles, energy or rays.
Photon scintillator detector apparatus, comprising a scintillator body for producing photons, single or multiple optical fibers connected to the scintillator body, a photon detector having an input and single or multiple optical fibers connected to the input for providing photons to the detector.
A detector apparatus comprising a scintillation crystal assembly, optical fibers connected to the crystal assembly, and further comprising an optical viewing portion connected to the optical fibers for allowing an operator to view the assembly and adjacent objects from a distance, the optical viewing portion having a light source at one or both ends and employing micro lenses, lenses, shaped light guides, or other optical components connected to the optical fibers for providing sharp images of the objects being viewed, the viewing portion providing observation and shape and size measurements or control functions.
Scintillation detection and viewing apparatus comprising optical fibers having proximal and distal ends, a scintillator connected to the distal ends, detectors connected to the proximal ends, and light sources and viewers connected to the proximal ends for illuminating objects at the distal ends and viewing images of the objects at the distal ends.
Scintillation apparatus comprising a scintillator plate with an elastomer layer on one side optically coupled to the scintillator plate, a gamma ray window connected to the elastomer layer for admitting gamma rays into the scintillator plate, an optical coupler on the scintillator plate opposite the gamma ray window and the elastomer layer, and optical fibers having proximal ends connected to the optical coupler for conducting photons from the optical coupler through the optical fibers.
Scintillator apparatus comprising plural individual scintillator bodies and a holder connected to the scintillator bodies for holding the plural scintillator bodies in an array, and wherein the optical fibers comprise single or multiple optical fibers having proximal ends connected to the plural scintillator bodies.
A scintillator photon detector method comprising providing a scintillator body for producing photons, connecting single or multiple optical fibers to the sintillator body, providing a photon detector having an input, connecting the single or multiple optical fibers to the input, and providing photons to the detector through the optical fibers.
A detector method comprising providing a scintillation crystal assembly, and further providing an optical viewing portion for allowing an operator to view the assembly and adjacent objects from a distance, providing a light source at one or both ends of the optical viewing portion, and providing micro lenses, lenses, shaped light guides, or other optical components in the optical viewing portion for providing sharp images of the objects being viewed, providing observation and shape and size measurements or control functions in the optical viewing portion.
Scintillation detection and viewing method comprising providing optical fibers having proximal and distal ends, providing a scintillator, connecting the scintillator to the proximal ends, providing detectors, connecting the detectors to the distal ends, providing light sources and viewers, connecting the light sources and viewers to the proximal ends, illuminating objects at the distal ends and viewing images of the objects at the distal ends.
A scintillation method comprising providing a scintillator plate with an elastomer layer on one side optically coupled to the scintillator plate, a gamma ray window connected to the elastomer layer for admitting gamma rays into the scintillator plate, an optical coupler on the scintillator plate opposite the gamma ray window and the elastomer layer, and optical fibers having proximal ends connected to the optical coupler for conducting photons from the optical coupler through the optical fibers.
A scintillator method comprising providing plural individual scintillator bodies and providing a holder connected to the scintillator bodies for holding the plural scintillator bodies in an array, providing multiple optical fibers and connecting proximal ends of the multiple optical fibers to the plural scintillator bodies.
An inspection method comprising a gamma ray, x-ray or particle source, a gamma ray, x-ray or particle detector scintillator positioned a distance from the source, an optical fiber bundle connected to the array and a cable connected to the optical fiber bundle, a flexible illuminator source positioned with respect to the cable and having a light source or lens on an end near the detector scintillator array for illuminating the object under inspection, an optical receiver lens positioned with respect to the gamma ray, x-ray or particle scintillator detector array and optical fibers connected to the receiver lens and positioned with respect to the cable for providing visual images of the object under inspection for observing and recording positions on the object under inspection.
An apparatus for observing and recording visually a patient in connection with a gamma camera comprising a gamma camera assembly having a scintillator and an optical window connected to the scintillator and optical fibers connected to the optical window and a cable for conducting photons from the scintillator and optical fibers to photo detectors, a light source supplier in position with respect to the cable and the gamma camera and a lens or light source at an end of the supplier for illuminating an object of the gamma camera and optical fibers positioned with respect to the cable and having a lens at an end for receiving visual images of the object and conveying the digital images to an observation or recording device near the photo detectors.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.