Real-time digital x-ray imaging apparatus

A method for operating a dental x-ray diagnostic apparatus performing real-time digital radiography in Orthopantomography or Seunnography on a patient skull, comprising the steps of:

• irradiating the patient skull during orbital movement of x-ray source and x-ray imager;
• controlling by signal from a cassette speed simulator a column shift operation on the x-ray imager;
• shifting a last column in a readout register, and reading the readout register out pixel by pixel through a converter into a FITO registry;
• and
• transferring substantially an entire column from the FIFO registry to an image memory, substantially adjacent to a previously acquired column, so building up a diagnostic image.

A method for operating a dental x-ray diagnostic apparatus performing Real-time Digital Radiography in Orthopantomography or Scannography on a patient skull, comprising the steps of:

• irradiating the patient skull during orbital movement of an x-ray source and an x-ray imager;
• controlling at substantially regular intervals, as dictated by a Control Logic under input from a sensor integration control, a frame integration and a quick frame transfer during irradiation to a non-irradiated storage Section;
• reading substantially an entire frame out from the storage section through a converter and adding it, pixel by pixel to a FIFO registry:
• shifting frame columns in the FIFO Registry, based on a sequence dictated by the Control Logic in response to a cassette speed simulator;
• and
• transfer ring the last shifted column from the FIFO Registry to an Image Memory, substantially adjacent to a previously acquired column, thereby building up a diagnostic image.

A method for operating a dental x-ray diagnostic apparatus performing Real-time Digital Radiography in orthopantomography or Scannography on a patient skull, comprising the steps of:

• irradiating the patient skull during orbital movement of an x-ray source and x-ray imager;
• controlling at regular intervals, as dictated by a control logic under input from a sensor integration control, a frame integration and a readout during irradiation through a converter, and frame adding pixel by pixel to a FIFO registry;
• shifting frame columns in said FIFO Registry, based on a sequence dictated by the control logic in response to a cassette speed simulator;
• and
• transferring the last shifted column from said FIFO Registry to an image memory, substantially adjacent to a previously acquired column, so building up a diagnostic image.

A method for operating a dental x-ray diagnostic apparatus performing Real-time Digital Radiography in Linear Tomography of a patient skull, comprising the steps of:

• providing an image processing unit, said image processing unit being configured to operate in a linear tomography mode and in at least one additional real-time digital radiography mode selected from the group consisting of an orthopantomography mode, a scannography mode and a cephalography mode;
• setting said image precessing unit to operate in said linear tomography mode;
• irradiating the patient skull during orbital movement of an x-ray source and x-ray imager;
• on termination of irradiation, shifting a frame column by column to a readout register;
• reading out for each shifted column, said readout register through a converter, and moving it, pixel by pixel to a FIFO registry;
• and
• moving the last readout column from the FIFO Registry to an Image Memory substantially adjacent to a previously acquired column, so building up a diagnostic image.

A method for operating a dental x-ray diagnostic apparatus performing Real-time Digital Radiography in linear Tomography on a patient skull, comprising the steps of:

• providing an image processing unit, said image processing unit being configured to operate in a linear tomography mode and in at least one additional real-time digital radiography mode selected from the group consisting of an orthopantomography mode, a scannography mode and a cephalography mode:
• setting said image processing unit to operate in said linear tomography mode;
• irradiating the patient skull during orbital movement of an x-ray source and x-ray imager;
• on termination of irradiation, reading out a frame through a converter, and moving the frame, pixel by pixel, to a FIFO Registry;
• and
• moving the frame by column shifting from the FIFO Registry to an image Memory.

A method for operating a dental x-ray diagnostic apparatus performing Real-time Digital Radiography in Linear Tomography on a patient skull, comprising the steps of:

• providing an image processing unit, said image processing unit being configured to operate in a linear tomography mode and in at least one additional real-time digital radiography mode selected from the group consisting of an orthopantomography mode, a scannography mode and a cephalography mode;
• setting said image processing unit to operate in said linear tomography mode;
• irradiating the patient skull during orbital movement of an x-ray source and x-ray imager;
• controlling at substantially regular intervals as dictated by a Control Logic, a frame integration and a quick frame transfer during irradiation to a non-irradiated storage section;
• reading substantially the entire frame out from the storage section through a converter, and adding it, pixel by pixel, to a FIFO Registry;
• and
• on termination of irradiation, moving substantially the whole frame from the FIFO Registry to an Image Memory.

A method for operating a dental x-ray diagnostic apparatus performing Real-time Digital Radiography in Linear Tomography of a patient skull, comprising the steps of:

• providing an image processing unit said image processing unit being configured to operate in a linear tomography mode and in at least one additional real-time digital radiography mode selected from the group consisting of an orthopantomography mode, a scannography mode and a cephalography mode;
• setting said image processing unit to operate in said linear tomography mode;
• irradiating the patient skull during orbital movement of an x-ray source and x-ray imager;
• controlling at substantially regular intervals, as dictated by a Control Logic, a frame integration and a frame readout pixel by pixel through a converter;
• adding readout data pixel by pixel to a FIFO Registry, so building up an image by digital integration;
• and
• on termination of irradiation moving substantially the whole frame from the FIFO Registry to an Image Memory.

A method for operating a dental x-ray diagnostic apparatus performing Real-time Digital Radiography in Cephalography on a patient skull, comprising the steps of:

• irradiating the patient skull under cephalographic projection, while an x-ray source and an x-ray imager perform a linear scanning movement;
• shifting sensor columns as dictated by a Control Logic at a speed such to ensure a coincidence on a same sensor column of a projection of a same object point laying in a mid sagittal plane of the patient skull;
• shifting substantially a last column in a readout register, and reading out pixel by pixel through a converter into a FIFO Registry;
• and
• moving substantially the last readout column from the FIFO Registry to an Image Memory substantially adjacent to a previously acquired column, so building up a diagnostic image.

A method for operating a dental x-ray diagnostic apparatus performing Real-time Digital Radiography in Cephalography of a patient skull, comprising the steps of:

• irradiating the patient skull under cephalographic projection, while an x-ray source and an x-ray imager perform a linear scanning movement;
• at substantially regular intervals, as dictated by a frame acquisition rate front a Control Logic, integrating and moving a frame during irradiation to a non-irradiated storage section;
• reading substantially the entire frame out from the storage section through a converter, and adding it pixel by pixel, to a FIFO Registry;
• shifting frame columns in the FIFO Registry as dictated by the Control Logic at a speed such to ensure a coincidence on a same column of a projection of a same object point laying in a mid sagittal plane of the patient skull;
• and
• moving the last shifted column from the FIFO Registry to an Image Memory substantially adjacent to a previously acquired column, so building up a diagnostic image.

A method for operating a dental x-ray diagnostic apparatus performing Real-time Digital Radiography in Cephalography of a patient skull, comprising the steps of:

• irradiating the patient skull under cephalographic projection, while an x-ray source and an x-ray imager perform a linear scanning movement where x-ray pulses are synchronized with the scanning movement;
• at substantially regular intervals synchronized with the x-ray pulses by a Control Logic, integrating and moving a frame after irradiation to a non-irradiated storage section;
• reading substantially the entire frame out from the storage section through a converter, and adding it pixel by pixel to a FIFO Registry, so building up a vertical strip of an image;
• moving at least part of the frame in the FIFO Registry to an Image Memory substantially adjacent to a previously acquired strip, so building up a diagnostic image;
• and
• repeating the steps of irradiating the patient skull, integrating and moving a frame, reading substantially the entire frame, and moving at least part of the frame with another exposure flash, taking place in a next adjacent position of the x-ray source and the x-ray imager.

A method for operating a dental x-ray diagnostic apparatus performing Real-time Digital Radiography in Cephalography of a patient skull, comprising the steps of:

• irradiating the patient skull under cephalographic projection, while an x-ray source and an x-ray imager perform a linear scanning movement;
• at substantially regular intervals, as dictated by a frame acquisition rate from a Control Logic, integrating and reading out a frame during irradiation through a converter, and adding it pixel by pixel to a FIFO Registry, so building up an image by digital integration;
• shifting frame columns in the FIFO Registry as dictated by the Control Logic at a speed such to ensure a coincidence on a same column of a projection of a same object point laying in a mid sagittal plane of the patient skull;
• and
• moving substantially the last shifted column from the FIFO Registry to an Image Memory substantially adjacent to a previously acquired column, so building up a diagnostic image.

A method for operating a dental x-ray diagnostic apparatus performing Real-time Digital Radiography in Cephalography of a patient skull, comprising the steps of:

• irradiating the patient skull under cephalographic projection, while arm x-ray source and an x-ray imager perform a linear scanning movement, where x-ray pulses are synchronized with the scanning movement;
• at intervals synchronized with the x-ray pulses by a Control Logic, integrating and after the irradiation reading out a frame pixel by pixel through a converter into a FIFO Registry, so building up a vertical strip of an image;
• moving at least part of frame in the FIFO Registry to an Image Memory substantially adjacent to a previously acquired strip, so building up a diagnostic image;
• and
• repeating steps of irradiating the patient skull, integrating and after the irradiation reading out a frame, and moving at least part of the frame with another exposure flash, raking place in a next adjacent position of x-ray source and the x-ray hunger.