Apparatus and method for channel count reduction in solid-state-based positron emission tomography

A gamma ray detector, comprising:

• an array of scintillation crystals;
• an array of sensors;
• and
• a plurality of data acquisition devices, each data acquisition device including
• a summing circuit configured to sum a plurality of electrical signals from a corresponding plurality of sensors coupled to the array of scintillation crystals to generate a first signal, the plurality of sensors converting received light into the plurality of electrical signals, wherein the light is generated by a crystal of interaction in response to incident gamma rays generated by an annihilation event;
• a delay summing circuit configured to selectively delay and sum the plurality of electrical signals to generate a second signal;
• a first circuit configured to receive the first signal and to determine an energy and an event time of the first signal;
• and
• a second circuit configured to receive the first signal and the second signal and to determine, based on when the first and second signals respectively exceed a predetermined threshold, which sensor of the plurality of sensors corresponds to a location of the crystal of interaction.

A gamma ray detection method, comprising:

• generating a first signal by summing a plurality of electrical signals from a corresponding plurality of sensors coupled to an array of scintillation crystals, the plurality of sensors converting received light into the plurality of electrical signals, wherein the light is generated by a crystal of interaction in response to incident gamma rays generated by an annihilation event;
• generating a second signal by selectively delaying and summing the plurality of electrical signals;
• determining an energy and an event time of the first signal;
• and
• determining, based on when the first and second signals respectively exceed a predetermined threshold, which sensor of the plurality of sensors corresponds to a location of the crystal of interaction.