Method and apparatus for adaptive X-ray filtration
AssigneeTriple Ring Technologies, Inc.
InventorTobias Funk
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention pertains to a system and method for adaptive X-ray filtration comprising a volume of X-ray attenuating material with a central less attenuating three-dimensional region. The volume of X-ray attenuating material can be positioned within 10 cm from an X-ray source and rotated around an internal axis of rotation. The volume of X-ray attenuating material can be symmetric around the internal axis while the central less attenuating region can be asymmetric around the internal axis. Rotating the volume by a predetermined angle around the internal axis can change the amount of attenuation of an X-ray beam through the filter. The volume can be rotated by the same predetermined angle as an imaging subject or X-ray source and detector are rotated during X-ray image acquisition.
Claims17
An X-ray imaging system comprising:
- an X-ray source for generating an X-ray beam;
- an X-ray detector for detecting said X-ray beam;
- a gantry for rotating said X-ray source and said X-ray detector around an imaging subject;
- and
- an X-ray filter having a rotatable filter element positioned between said X-ray source and said imaging subject configured to rotate around an internal axis during rotation of said X-ray source and X-ray detector wherein an amount of attenuation of said X-ray beam by said rotatable filter element is a function of angular orientation of said rotatable filter element around said internal axis, wherein said X-ray filter further comprises a stationary filter element conforming to outer edges of said rotatable filter element and configured to equalize distances between side of said filter nearest said X-ray source and side of said filter nearest said X-ray detector traveled by X-rays of said X-ray beam.
An X-ray filter for X-ray imaging comprising:
- a three-dimensional volume of X-ray attenuating material configured to be positioned within 10 cm from an X-ray source and rotated around a central internal axis, wherein said three-dimensional volume is symmetric around said central internal axis;
- a less attenuating three-dimensional region within said three-dimensional volume that is asymmetric around said central internal axis;
- and
- a rotator for rotating said three-dimensional volume around said central internal axis.
A method of X-ray imaging comprising:
- positioning a rotatable filter element in an X-ray beam path between an X-ray source and X-ray detector;
- positioning an imaging subject in said X-ray beam path between said rotatable filter element and said X-ray detector in a first relative angular orientation, said first relative angular orientation being relative to said X-ray source and X-ray detector;
- acquiring a first X-ray projection image of said imaging subject with a first amount of attenuation from said rotatable filter element;
- changing said first relative angular orientation by a predetermined angle;
- rotating said rotatable filter element around an internal axis of rotation by said predetermined angle;
- acquiring a second X-ray projection image of said imaging subject with a second amount of attenuation from said rotatable filter element, wherein said second amount of attenuation is different than said first amount of attenuation;
- acquiring a preliminary measurement of said imaging subject;
- and
- adjusting properties of said rotatable filter element based on said preliminary measurement.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.