US 8,363,780 B2 · Dental X-ray apparatus and associated method

Abstract

A dental X-ray apparatus of the conical-beam digitized-tomography type includes: an X-ray generator emitting an X-ray beam towards an object and provided with a collimation element for collimating the emitted beam; an X-ray sensor having an active surface arranged opposite the generator; wherein the generator and the sensor can rotate simultaneously about a rotation axis, the sensor being oriented so that a longitudinal axis extending from the generator to the sensor through the rotation axis is perpendicular to the active surface of the sensor, the center of the sensor being transversally offset relative to the projection of the axis on the sensor's active surface, the arrangement of the collimation element and the sensor thus offset defining that the collimated beam illuminates the sensor's active surface while leaving a peripheral area of the surface that is faintly illuminated by the collimated beam relative to the rest of the active surface.

Claims22

Dependent claims

Dental X-ray apparatus of the cone beam computed tomography type, comprising:

an X-ray generator (18) adapted to emit a beam of X-rays toward an object and provided with collimation means adapted to collimate the emitted beam,
an X-ray sensor having an active surface (20a) disposed facing the generator, the generator and the sensor being adapted to be moved simultaneously in rotation about a rotation axis (30),
characterized in that the sensor (20) is oriented in such a manner that a longitudinal axis (34) extending from the generator to the sensor and passing through the rotation axis (30) is perpendicular to the active surface of the sensor, the center of the sensor being offset transversely relative to the projection of the axis (34) onto the active surface of the sensor, and the arrangement of the collimation means and the sensor offset in this way being such that the collimated beam illuminates the active surface of said sensor leaving a peripheral area of said surface weakly illuminated by the collimated beam compared to the rest of the active surface so as to provide an x-ray radio protection function.

Method of reconstitution of a three-dimensional representation of an object irradiated by X-rays from plane dental radiographic images, said method employing an X-ray generator (18) and an X-ray sensor (20) that are adapted to be moved simultaneously in rotation about a rotation axis (30), the method comprising the following steps:

emission of a beam of X-rays toward an object from the X-ray generator and collimation of this beam by collimation means,
reception by the sensor of the collimated beam of X-rays having irradiated the object, characterized in that the beam of X-rays is collimated onto the active surface of the sensor the center of which is offset transversely relative to the projection on the active surface of the sensor of a longitudinal axis (34) extending from the generator to the sensor and passing through the rotation axis, a peripheral area of the active surface of the sensor offset in this way being weakly illuminated by the collimated beam compared to the rest of the active surface so as to provide an x-ray radio protection function.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Dental X-ray apparatus and associated method

Life of this patent

Dental X-ray apparatus and associated method

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22