# US 2024/0201110 A1 · System and method for utilization of photon counting in a cabinet x-ray system

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- Number: US 2024/0201110 A1
- Document ID: US20240201110A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 18/534,588
- Filed: 2023-12-09
- Published: 2024-06-20
- Earliest claimed: 2022-12-09
- Assignees: Kub Technologies, Inc. Dba Kubtec
- Applicants: Kub Technologies, Inc. Dba Kubtec
- Inventors: Chester Lowe; Vikram Butani
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20240201110A1

## CPC

- G01N 23/046: using tomography, e.g. computed tomography [CT]
- G01N 23/04: and forming images of the material
- G01N 23/083: the radiation being X-rays
- G01T 1/244: {Auxiliary details, e.g. casings, cooling, damping or insulation against damage by, e.g. heat, pressure or the like}
- G01T 1/248: {Silicon photomultipliers [SiPM], e.g. an avalanche photodiode [APD] array on a common Si substrate}
- G01N 2223/1016: X-ray
- G01N 2223/419: computed tomograph
- G01N 2223/6123: bone mineral
- G01N 2223/6126: tissue
- G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q)
- 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)

## Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the field of a cabinet X-ray incorporating an X-ray tube, an X-ray detector that utilizes photon-counting, and a real-time camera, either high definition or standard resolution, for the production of organic and non-organic images and a system and method wherein the attained X-ray radiograph may be colorized to designate different densities. In particular, the disclosure relates to a system and method with corresponding apparatus for a cabinet x-ray for capturing an X-ray image utilizing a photon counting detector and software allowing a cabinet X-ray unit to attain and optimize images in grayscale and utilizing the photon counts in the various densities of the specimen creating a colorization representing the variation in densities.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A cabinet x-ray image system for obtaining x-ray images and colorized or grey scale density x-ray images of a specimen, the system comprising:
a cabinet defining an interior chamber wherein the cabinet comprises a walled enclosure surrounding the interior chamber, a door configured to cover the interior chamber and a sampling chamber for containing the specimen;
a display;
an x-ray system including:
an x-ray source;
a photon-counting detector; and
a specimen platform; and
a controller configured to:
selectively energize the x-ray source to emit x-rays through the specimen to the x-ray detector;
control the x-ray detector to collect a projection x-ray image of the specimen when the x-ray source is energized;
determine the density of different areas of the specimen from data collected from the x-ray detector of the projection x-ray image of the specimen when the x-ray source is energized;
create a density x-ray image of the specimen wherein the different areas of the specimen are indicated as a density or range of densities based on the determined density of different areas of the specimen; and
selectively display the density x-ray image of the specimen on the display.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The cabinet x-ray image system of claim 1, wherein the specimen platform is configured for excised tissue, organ or bone specimens.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The cabinet x-ray image system of claim 1, wherein the specimen platform is configured for any organic or inorganic specimen that fits inside an x-ray cabinet.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The cabinet x-ray image system of claim 1, wherein the cabinet x-ray image system further includes:
an optical camera configured to capture an optical image of the specimen; and
the controller is further configured to:
control the optical camera system to capture and collect the optical image of the specimen; and
selectively display the density x-ray image and the optical image of the specimen on the display.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The cabinet x-ray image system of claim 4, wherein the density x-ray image and the optical image of the specimen are displayed overlaid.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The cabinet x-ray image system of claim 1, further comprising:
the x-ray source emits a first amount of x-rays;
the x-ray detector includes a plurality of pixels in an array, each pixel configured to detect a second amount of x-rays received by the pixel; and
the controller is further configured to:
create the density x-ray image from the plurality of pixels by comparing from the first amount of x-rays and the second amount of x-rays for each pixel in the array.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The cabinet x-ray image system of claim 1, wherein the different areas of the specimen of the density x-ray image are displayed in different grey scale, different color or different shades of color.

### Claim 8

A method for obtaining x-ray images and colorized or grey scale density x-ray images of a specimen using a cabinet x-ray image system, wherein the cabinet x-ray image system comprises:
a cabinet defining an interior chamber wherein the cabinet comprises a walled enclosure surrounding the interior chamber, a door configured to cover the interior chamber and a sampling chamber for containing the specimen;
a display;
an x-ray system including:
an x-ray source;
a photon-counting detector; and
a specimen platform; and
a controller configured to:
selectively energize the x-ray source to emit x-rays through the specimen to the x-ray detector;
control the x-ray detector to collect a projection x-ray image of the specimen when the x-ray source is energized;
determine the density of different areas of the specimen from data collected from the x-ray detector of the projection x-ray image of the specimen when the x-ray source is energized;
create a density x-ray image of the specimen wherein the different areas of the specimen are indicated as a density or range of densities based on the determined density of different areas of the specimen; and
selectively display the density x-ray image of the specimen on the display, wherein the method comprises:
controlling the x-ray detector to collect an x-ray image of the specimen when the x-ray source is energized;
determining the density of different areas of the specimen from data collected from the x-ray detector of the projection x-ray image of the specimen when the x-ray source is energized;
creating a density x-ray image of the specimen wherein the different areas of the specimen are indicated as a density or range of densities based on the determined density of different areas of the specimen; and
selectively displaying the density x-ray image of the specimen on the display.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the cabinet x-ray image system further includes:
an optical camera configured to capture an optical image of the specimen;
the controller is further configured to:
control the optical camera system to capture and collect the optical image of the specimen; and
selectively display the density x-ray image and the optical image of the specimen on the display; and
the method further includes
controlling the optical camera system to capture and collect the optical image of the specimen; and
selectively displaying the density x-ray image and the optical image of the specimen on the display.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the density x-ray image and the optical image of the specimen are displayed overlaid.

### Claim 11

A method for obtaining x-ray images and colorized or grey scale density x-ray images of a specimen using a cabinet x-ray image system, wherein the cabinet x-ray image system comprises:
a cabinet defining an interior chamber wherein the cabinet comprises a walled enclosure surrounding the interior chamber, a door configured to cover the interior chamber and a sampling chamber for containing the specimen;
a display;
an x-ray system including:
an x-ray source;
a photon-counting detector; and
a specimen platform; and
a controller configured to:
selectively energize the x-ray source to emit x-rays through the specimen to the photon-counting detector;
control the photon-counting detector to collect a projection x-ray image of the specimen when the x-ray source is energized;
determine the density of different areas of the specimen from data collected from the photon-counting detector of the projection x-ray image of the specimen when the x-ray source is energized;
create a density x-ray image of the specimen wherein the different areas of the specimen are indicated as a density or range of densities based on the determined density of different areas of the specimen; and
selectively display the density x-ray image of the specimen on the display, wherein the method comprises:
controlling the photon-counting detector to collect an x-ray image of the specimen when the x-ray source is energized;
determining the density of different areas of the specimen from data collected from the x-ray detector of the projection x-ray image of the specimen when the x-ray source is energized;
creating a density x-ray image of the specimen wherein the different areas of the specimen are indicated as a density or range of densities based on the determined density of different areas of the specimen; and
selectively displaying the density x-ray image of the specimen on the display.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the cabinet x-ray image system further includes:
an optical camera configured to capture an optical image of the specimen;
the controller is further configured to:
control the optical camera system to capture and collect the optical image of the specimen; and
selectively display the density x-ray image and the optical image of the specimen on the display; and
the method further includes
controlling the optical camera system to capture and collect the optical image of the specimen; and
selectively displaying the density x-ray image and the optical image of the specimen on the display.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the x-ray detector utilized performs photon-counting.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the photon-counting detector may be photomultipliers, Geiger counters, single-photon avalanche diodes, superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors, transition edge sensors, CCD, scintillation counters, and hybrid pixel photon counting detectors

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the different areas of the specimen of the that are photon-counted are displayed in different grey scale, different color or different shades of color.