Diffractive analyzer of patient tissue
An x-ray diffractometer may perform 3D-analysis of collagen tissue of a patient (a human or another animal). The diffractometer includes an oblong housing that may be hinged and that contains an x-ray projector on one side of a recess and a receiver on an opposite side of the recess. The recess accommodates analyzed tissue such as the external ear and skin of a patient. The x-ray projector directs an x-ray micro-beam at the patient's tissue, and the receiver contains a movable two-dimensional x-ray detector that detects a transmitted x-ray micro-beam passed through the analyzed tissue and detects x-rays scattered or diffracted by the analyzed tissue.
1. A diffractometer system comprising:
a housing including a source portion and a receiver portion with a recess between the source portion and the receiver portion, the recess accommodating patient tissue to be analyzed;
an x-ray projector in the source portion and projecting an x-ray beam into the recess;
an x-ray receiver in the receiver portion, the x-ray receiver including an array of x-ray sensors positioned to detect x-rays from the x-ray beam that are transmitted undeflected through the recess and x-rays from the x-ray beam that the patient tissue in the recess scatters; and
one or more telescoping structures on at least one of the source portion and the receiver portion, each of the telescoping structures extending to and fixing the patient tissue in place during an x-ray examination process.
2. The diffractometer system of claim 1 , further comprising a computer system connected to the x-ray projector and the x-ray receiver, wherein the computer system is configured to control the x-ray projector and the x-ray receiver, process, store, and display data received from the x-ray receiver, perform 3-D diffractometric structural analysis, and calculate parameters of a three-dimensional reciprocal lattice of collagen in the patient tissue.
3. The diffractometer system of claim 1 , wherein the x-ray projector comprises a radiation source and a beam conditioner forming the x-ray beam, the radiation source operating in continuous mode, and the beam conditioner including at least one monochromator, an x-ray collimating device, and an x-ray focusing device.
4. The diffractometer system of claim 1 , wherein the patient tissue includes an external ear of a patient, and each of the telescoping structures presses against a skin surface of the external ear to hold the patient tissue in place for the x-ray examination process.
5. The diffractometer system of claim 4 , where at least one of the telescoping structures further comprise a pressure sensor, the pressure sensor measuring force or compression applied to the external ear.
6. The diffractometer system of claim 1 , wherein the source portion and the receiver portion are sealed to hold a vacuum or an inert gas and are equipped with beryllium windows through which the x-ray projector projects the x-ray beam and the x-ray receiver receives the x-rays.
7. The diffractometer system of claim 1 , wherein the array of x-ray sensors is in a protection container that is vacuumed or filled with an inert gas.
8. The diffractometer system of claim 1 , wherein the housing further comprises a swivel joint that connects the source portion to receiver portion and permits rotation of the receiver portion relative to the source portion.
9. The diffractometer system of claim 1 , wherein the receiver portion further comprises:
a first mechanism connected to move the array of x-ray sensors in a first direction toward or away from the recess; and
a second mechanism coupled to excite vibrations of the array of x-ray sensors in a second direction that is transverse to the first direction.
10. The diffractometer system of claim 9 , where the second mechanism is coupled to excite one or more types of transverse vibrations selected from a group consisting of fluctuations only in an equatorial direction perpendicular to the first direction, fluctuations in a meridional direction perpendicular to the first direction and to the equatorial direction, and fluctuations in both the equatorial and meridional directions simultaneously.
11. The diffractometer system of claim 1 , wherein the x-ray projector comprises a radiation source selected from a group consisting of an x-ray tube and an x-ray laser.
12. The diffractometer system of claim 1 , further comprising a tripod coupled to the housing, the tripod including a motorized positioning mechanism coupled to move and orient the housing.
13. The diffractometer system of claim 12 , wherein the motorized positioning mechanism comprises at least one of a ball-screw motion transmission and a combination of a feed screw shaft that is driven to rotate by a position-controllable electric motor and a slide member that is held in thread-engagement with the feed screw shaft as well as using a step motor.
14. The diffractometer system of claim 1 , wherein the x-ray projector further comprises a Kratki or Montel mirror collimator.
15. The diffractometer system of claim 1 , further comprising a visible-light laser providing a light beam that is parallel to the x-ray beam in the recess.
16. The diffractometer system of claim 1 , further comprising an autonomous power source based on electric accumulators and batteries.
17. The diffractometer system of claim 16 , wherein the autonomous power source is an automotive electrical system.
18. The diffractometer system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a telescoping arm attached to the housing and to a wall or a ceiling of a room; and
mechanisms and motors coupled to move the telescoping arm.