IP Library Granted Patent US 9,770,219
Granted Patent B2
US 9,770,219 · App. 14/499,939 · Granted Sep 26, 2017

Computed-tomography apparatus including detectors with different sensitivities

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,770,219
App. No.
14/499,939
Granted
Sep 26, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

A computed-tomography (CT) apparatus including a CT scanner including a rotating X-ray source, and a plurality of photon-counting detectors (PCDs) arranged in a fixed detector ring to capture incident X-ray photons emitted from the X-ray source. The plurality of PCDs includes a first plurality of first PCDs, each first PCD having a first collimator on a surface of the first PCD to block X-ray photons emitted from the X-ray source, the first collimator having openings of a first size, and a second plurality of second PCDs, each second PCD having a second collimator on a surface of the second PCD to block the X-ray photons emitted from the X-ray source, the second collimator having openings of a second size, the first size being different from the second size.

Claims (23)

1. A computed-tomography (CT) apparatus, comprising:

a CT scanner including a rotating X-ray source; and

a plurality of photon-counting detectors (PCDs) arranged in a fixed detector ring to capture incident X-ray photons emitted from the X-ray source, wherein

the plurality of PCDs includes

a first plurality of first PCDs, each first PCD having a first collimator on a surface of the first PCD to block X-ray photons emitted from the X-ray source, the first collimator having openings of a first size, and

a second plurality of second PCDs, each second PCD having a second collimator on a surface of the second PCD to block the X-ray photons emitted from the X-ray source, the second collimator having openings of a second size, the first size being different from the second size due to a difference between a first opening of the first collimator for each pixel and a second opening of the second collimator for each pixel.

2. The CT apparatus of claim 1 , wherein

each of the first plurality of first PCDs is arranged in an alternating fashion with each of the second plurality of second PCDs in a circumferential direction around the X-ray source.

3. The CT apparatus of claim 1 , wherein

the first collimator includes a plurality of first collimator elements,

the second collimator includes a plurality of second collimator elements, and

a first collimator element of the first collimator elements has a different width than a second collimator element of the second collimator elements.

4. The CT apparatus of claim 1 , wherein

the first size is larger than the second size, and

the first plurality of PCDs exhibit higher sensitivity than the second plurality of PCDs.

5. A computed-tomography (CT) apparatus, comprising:

a CT scanner including a rotating X-ray source; and

a plurality of photon-counting detectors (PCDs) arranged in a fixed detector ring to capture incident X-ray photons emitted from the X-ray source, wherein

each of the PCDs includes a collimator arranged on a surface of each of the PCDs to provide openings of at least two different sizes for two different pixels in an axial direction.

6. The CT apparatus of claim 5 , wherein

the collimator includes a plurality of collimator elements, and

at least one collimator element of the plurality of collimator elements has a different width than another collimator of the plurality of collimator elements.

7. The CT apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of PCDs are evenly spaced along an entirety of an inner surface of the fixed detector ring.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 23, 2016
From: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
To: TOSHIBA MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 039133/0915 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 23, 2014
From: GAGNON, DANIEL; RODRIGUES, MIESHER; ZHANG, YUEXING
To: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA; TOSHIBA MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 034020/0151 →