US 8,712,010 B2Granted

Digital X-ray detector arrangement and digital X-ray imaging method

AssigneePlanmeca Oy

InventorKustaa Nyholm

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Abstract

The invention relates to digital imaging implemented using X-radiation and to a detector arrangement designed to be used in such imaging, the operation of said arrangement being based on counters counting signal pulses. In the invention, the detector arrangement comprises switch arrangements which are always connectable to at least two counters and which allow at least one of the counters to be always disconnected from a pixel. It is thus always possible to read out the information from at least one counter while another counter is simultaneously being used for counting signal pulses. The invention provides the advantage that the integration of image information need not be interrupted when information is to be read out from the detector during exposure as a change of the integrating counter can be effected during exposure without losing any image information.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A digital X-ray detector arrangement, which includes a detector including a number of pixels (P), in conjunction with which detector are arranged an X-radiation absorbing element (11), a means for passing on the information detected by the pixels (P) in the form of pulses and counters (C1, C2) for counting the pulses received from the pixels (P), characterized in that

there are arranged in the detector several units each one of which comprising at least two counters (C1, C2) and a switch arrangement comprising one or more switches (S, S1, S2),
that the aforesaid units are arranged to be connected either to i) mutually adjacent pixels (P) or to ii) mutually adjacent detector components that are functionally connected to one or more pixels (P),
and that in the aforesaid units said switch arrangement is adapted to enable a pixel (P), or said component functionally connected to one or more pixels (P), to be optionally connected to at least two of the aforesaid counters (C1, C2) and thus to enable the aforesaid pulses received from the pixels to be directed to the at least one counter (C1, C2) being selected at the time.

A digital X-ray imaging method, wherein the object to be imaged is irradiated by an X-ray beam, image information is integrated in a detector arrangement which comprises a number of pixels (P) and in which radiation quanta are converted into pulses, and pulses are passed into counters (C1, C2) functionally connected to the pixels (P) to count the pulses,

characterized in that
said pulses are passed into units, each one of which comprising at least two counters (C1, C2) and a switch arrangement (S, S1, S2) comprising one or more switches (S, S1, S2),
that the aforesaid units are arranged to be connected either i) to mutually adjacent pixels (P) or ii) to mutually adjacent detector components that are functionally connected to one or more pixels (P),
the switch arrangement in the aforesaid units being adapted to enable a pixel (P), or said component functionally connected to one or more pixels (P), to be optionally connected to at least two of the aforesaid counters (C1, C2),
and that aforesaid pulses received from the pixels (P) are passed to the at least one counter (C1, C2) being selected at the time.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/377,033Filed 8 Jun 2010
Priority: FI 200902379 Jun 2009
Published: US 2012/0087472 A112 Apr 2012
Granted: 29 Apr 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

G01N 23/04
By transmitting the radiation through the material: and forming images of the material
G01T 1/247
With semiconductor detectors: detector read-out circuitry
H04N 23/698
Control of cameras or camera modules: for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
H04N 23/30
Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof: for generating image signals from X-rays