Methods and apparatus for indirect high voltage verification in an imaging system
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorThomas L. Toth
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention, in one form, is a system which, in one embodiment, utilizes a pre-patient filter to attenuate detector array signals to indirectly determine a voltage applied to an x-ray source. Specifically, in one embodiment, the pre-patient filter includes a plurality of attenuating portions. By radiating an x-ray beam from the x-ray source through the different attenuating portions of the filter, the signals intensities at a detector array are attenuated differently. Utilizing an attenuation reference for the filter and a ratio of the measured attenuated signal intensities, the voltage applied to the x-ray source may indirectly be determined.
Claims24
A method of x-ray source voltage verification in an imaging system, the imaging system including a detector array, an x-ray source for radiating an x-ray beam toward the detector array and a pre-patient filter having at least a first attenuating portion and a second attenuating portion, said method comprising:
- identifying signal intensities at the detector array from the x-ray beam radiated through the filter first attenuation portion;
- identifying signal intensities at the detector array from the x-ray beam radiated through the filter second attenuation portion;
- and
- determining an x-ray source voltage based on the first attenuation portion signal intensities and the second attenuation portion signal intensities.
A method of x-ray source voltage verification in an imaging system, the imaging system including a detector array, an x-ray source for radiating an x-ray beam toward the detector array and a pre-patient bowtie filter having at least a first attenuation portion positioned in a center of the filter and a second attenuation portion positioned at an edge of the filter, said method comprising:
- identifying signal intensities at the detector array from the x-ray beam radiated through the filter first attenuation portion through a center portion of the filter at about a zero degree fan angle;
- identifying signal intensities at the detector array from the x-ray beam radiated through the filter second attenuation portion;
- and determining an x-ray source voltage based on the first attenuation portion signal intensities and the second attenuation portion signal intensities.
A method of x-ray source voltage verification in an imaging system, the imaging system including a detector array having a plurality of detector cells displaced along an x-axis having an isocenter, an x-ray source for radiating an x-ray beam toward the detector array and a pre-patient bowtie filter having at least a first attenuation portion positioned in a center of the filter and a second attenuation portion positioned at an edge of the filter, said method comprising:
- identifying signal intensities at the detector array from the x-ray beam radiated through the first attenuation portion through a center portion of the filter, including collecting intensity signals from at least one detector cell positioned near the isocenter;
- identifying signal intensities at the detector array from the x-ray beam radiated through the filter second attenuation portion through the edge of the filter at about a non-zero degree fan angle;
- and
- determining an x-ray source voltage based on the first attenuation portion signal intensities and the second attenuation portion signal intensities.
A method of x-ray source voltage verification in an imaging system, the imaging system including a detector array, an x-ray source for radiating an x-ray beam toward the detector array and a pre-patient filter having at least a first attenuating portion and a second attenuating portion, said method comprising:
- identifying signal intensities at the detector array from the x-ray beam radiated through the filter first attenuation portion;
- identifying signal intensities at the detector array from the x-ray beam radiated through the filter second attenuation portion;
- and
- determining an x-ray source voltage based on the first attenuation portion signal intensities and the second attenuation portion signal intensities;
- wherein determining an x-ray source voltage based on the first attenuation portion signal intensities and the second attenuation portion signal intensities comprises:
- determining an attenuation ratio based on the first filter first attenuation portion and the filter second attenuation portion;
- and generating a filter attenuation function based on the attenuation ratio.
A system for determining an x-ray source voltage in an imaging system, the imaging system including a detector array, an x-ray source for radiating an x-ray beam toward the detector array and a pre-patient filter having at least a first attenuating portion and a second attenuating portion, said system configured to:
- identify signal intensities at the detector array from the x-ray beam radiated through the filter first attenuation portion;
- identify signal intensities at the detector array from the x-ray beam radiated through the filter second attenuation portion;
- and
- determine an x-ray source voltage based on the first attenuation portion signal intensities and the second attenuation portion signal intensities.
A system for determining an x-ray source voltage in an imaging system, the imaging system including a detector array, an x-ray source for radiating an x-ray beam toward the detector array and a pre-patient bowtie filter having at least a first attenuating portion positioned in a center of the filter and a second attenuating portion positioned at an edge of the filter, said system configured to:
- identify signal intensities at the detector array from the x-ray beam radiated through a first attenuation portion through a center portion of the filter at about a zero degree fan angle;
- identify signal intensities at the detector array from the x-ray beam radiated through the filter second attenuation portion;
- and
- determine an x-ray source voltage based on the first attenuation portion signal intensities and the second attenuation portion signal intensities.
A system for determining an x-ray source voltage in an imaging system, the imaging system including a detector array having a plurality of detectors cells displaced along an x-axis having an isocenter, an x-ray source for radiating an x-ray beam toward the detector array and a pre-patient bowtie filter having at least a first attenuating portion positioned in a center of the filter and a second attenuating portion positioned at an edge of the filter, said system configured to:
- identifying signal intensities at the detector array from the x-ray beam radiated through the first attenuation portion through a center portion of the filter, including collecting intensity signals from at least one detector cell positioned near the isocenter;
- identify signal intensities at the detector array from the x-ray beam radiated through the filter second attenuation portion through the edge of the filter at about a non-zero degree fan angle;
- and
- determine an x-ray source voltage based on the first attenuation portion signal intensities and the second attenuation portion signal intensities.
A system for determining an x-ray source voltage in an imaging system, the imaging system including a detector array, an x-ray source for radiating an x-ray beam toward the detector array and a pre-patient filter having at least a first attenuating portion and a second attenuating portion, said system configured to:
- identify signal intensities at the detector array from the x-ray beam radiated through the filter first attenuation portion;
- identify signal intensities at the detector array from the x-ray beam radiated through the filter second attenuation portion;
- and
- determine an x-ray source voltage based on the first attenuation portion signal intensities and the second attenuation portion signal intensities;
- and
- wherein to determine an x-ray source voltage based on the first attenuation portion signal intensities and the second attenuation portion signal intensities, said system configured to:
- determine an attenuation ratio based on the filter first attenuation portion and the filter second attenuation portion;
- and
- generate a filter attenuation function based on the attenuation ratio.
An imaging system comprising a multislice detector array, an x-ray source for radiating an x-ray beam toward the detector array, a pre-patient filter having at least a first attenuating portion and a second attenuating portion and a computer, said computer coupled to said detector array and said x-ray source and programmed to:
- identify signal intensities at said detector array from said x-ray beam radiated through said filter first attenuation portion;
- identify signal intensities at said detector array from said x-ray beam radiated through said filter second attenuation portion;
- and
- determine an x-ray source voltage based on said first attenuation portion signal intensities and said second attenuation portion signal intensities.
An imaging system comprising a multislice detector array, an x-ray source for radiating an x-ray beam toward the detector array, and a pre-patient bowtie filter having at least a first attenuating portion in a center of said filter and a second attenuating portion positioned at an edge of said filter and a computer, said computer coupled to said detector array and said x-ray source and programmed to:
- identify signal intensities at said detector array from said x-ray beam radiated through said filter first attenuation portion through said filter center portion at about a zero degree fan angle;
- identify signal intensities at said detector array from said x-ray beam radiated through said filter second attenuation portion;
- and
- determine an x-ray source voltage based on said first attenuation portion signal intensities and said second attenuation portion signal intensities.
An imaging system comprising a multislice detector array, an x-ray source for radiating an x-ray beam toward the detector array, a pre-patient bowtie filter having at least a first attenuating portion in a center of said filter and a second attenuating portion positioned at an edge of said filter and a computer, said computer coupled to said detector array and said x-ray source and programmed to:
- identify signal intensities at said detector array from said x-ray beam radiated through said filter first attenuation portion through a center portion of said filter, including collecting intensity signals from at least one detector cell positioned near the isocenter;
- identify signal intensities at said detector array from said x-ray beam radiated through said filter second attenuation portion through the edge of said filter at about a non-zero degree fan angle;
- and
- determine an x-ray source voltage based on said first attenuation portion signal intensities and said second attenuation portion signal intensities.
An imaging system comprising a multislice detector array, an x-ray source for radiating an x-ray beam toward the detector array, a pre-patient filter having at least a first attenuating portion and a second attenuating portion and a computer, said computer coupled to said detector array and said x-ray source and programmed to:
- identify signal intensities at said detector array from said x-ray beam radiated through said filter first attenuation portion;
- identify signal intensities at said detector array from said x-ray beam radiated through said filter second attenuation portion;
- and
- determine an x-ray source voltage based on said first attenuation portion signal intensities and said second attenuation portion signal intensities;
- and
- wherein to determine an x-ray source voltage based on said first attenuation portion signal intensities and said second attenuation portion signal intensities, said computer programmed to:
- determine an attenuation ratio based on the filter first attenuation portion and the filter second attenuation portion;
- and
- generate a filter attenuation function based on the attenuation ratio.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.