Encoding for nuclear medical imaging block detectors

A nuclear imaging apparatus comprising:

• an array of radiation sensors, each sensor providing a sensor signal in response to a scintillation event incident on said array;
• a plurality of front-end encoders configured to receive, for each incident scintillation event, the sensor signals from the array of radiation sensors and to convert the sensor signals into a plurality of encoded signals for calculation of a spatial location of the scintillation event on said array, wherein said plurality of encoded signals is smaller in number than the sensor signals provided by said array;
• and
• a block encoder comprising:
• a plurality of inputs coupled to the outputs of said plurality of front-end encoders, and
• a plurality of outputs, wherein the block encoder is configured to encode the outputs of the plurality of front-end encoders.

A method of reducing a number of signals from an array of radiation sensors comprising:

• detecting a scintillation event at the array of radiation sensors;
• encoding a first signal that represents either a top row or a bottom row of the array of radiation sensors;
• encoding a second signal that represents either a left row or a right row of the array of radiation sensors;
• encoding a third signal that represents a total amount of energy received from the array of radiation sensors.