Method and apparatus for measuring X-ray energy
OwnerGeorge Possin, Steven Duclosinventors
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Abstract
An energy sensitive detector is provided. The detector comprises an array of detector elements, wherein the detector elements comprises a first scintillator configured to emit photons within a first wavelength range when stimulated by X-rays, a second scintillator configured to emit photons within a second wavelength range when stimulated by X-rays, and a photo-detecting component configured to generate a first signal and a second signal, wherein the first signal and second signals are substantially linear functions of the number of photons emitted within the first and second wavelength ranges.
Claims32
An energy sensitive detector comprising:
- an array of detector elements, wherein each detector element comprises:
- a first scintillator configured to emit photons within a first wavelength range when stimulated by X-rays;
- a second scintillator configured to emit photons within a second wavelength range when stimulated by X-rays;
- and
- a photo-detecting component configured to generate a first signal and a second signal, wherein the first signal and second signals are substantially linear functions of the number of photons emitted within the first and second wavelength ranges.
An X-ray imaging system, the system comprising:
- an X-ray source configured to emit X-rays;
- an energy sensitive detector comprising:
- an array of detector elements, wherein each detector elements comprises:
- a first scintillator configured to emit photons within a first wavelength range when stimulated by X-rays;
- a second scintillator configured to emit photons within a second wavelength range when stimulated by X-rays;
- a photo-detecting component configured to generate a first signal and a second signal, wherein the first signal and second signals are substantially linear functions of the number of photons emitted within the first and second wavelength ranges.
- detector acquisition circuitry configured to acquire the first signal and the second signal from the energy sensitive detector;
- a system control circuitry configured to control at least one of the X-ray source and the detector acquisition circuitry;
- and
- an image processing circuitry configured to process the first signals and the second signals to generate an image.
A method of forming an energy sensitive detector, the method comprising the steps of:
- forming a first scintillator layer configured to emit photons within a first wavelength range when stimulated by X-rays;
- forming a second scintillator layer configured to emit photons within a second wavelength range when stimulated by X-rays;
- and
- forming an array of photo detecting elements configured to generate a first signal and a second signal, wherein the first signal and second signals are substantially linear functions of the number of photons emitted within the first and second wavelength ranges.
A method for acquiring X-ray energy data comprising the steps of:
- emitting X-rays onto a energy sensitive detector comprising a first scintillator and a second scintillator such that the first scintillator emits photons within a first wavelength range and the second scintillator emits photons within the second wavelength range;
- detecting the incidence of emitted photons on one or more photo-sensitive elements, wherein each element is configured to produce a first signal proportional to photons emitted within the first wavelength range and a second signal proportional to photons emitted within the second wavelength range;
- and
- determining a relative amount of X-rays at two or more energy bands incident on each element based on the first signal and the second signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.