Material decomposition calibration method and apparatus for a full size photon counting CT system

1. A calibration method, comprising:

placing a single slab of a single material in a field of view of an X-ray scanner system, wherein the slab has a known linear attenuation coefficient and a known pathlength;

scanning, with the X-ray scanner system, the slab with at least one X-ray tube located at plural known locations at different corresponding angles relative to the slab so as to scan the slab from the different corresponding angles;

repeating the placing and scanning steps for another single slab of the single material having a different thickness than the single slab,

generating material decomposition data based on the scannings at the different corresponding angles for the single slab and the another single slab;

generating air calibration data based on an air scan using the at least one X-ray tube at a rotation speed; and

calibrating a forward model for the X-ray scanner system based on the material decomposition data and the air calibration data.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one X-ray tube is stationary.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the material decomposition data includes a weighted bin response and a pulse pileup correction term.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forward model includes a weighted bin response, a pulse pileup correction term, the known linear attenuation coefficient, the known pathlength, and the air calibration data.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein each slab is placed level the field of view of the X-ray scanner system.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein each slab fully covers the field of view of the X-ray scanner system.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

scanning, after the calibrating of the forward model for the X-ray scanner system, an object.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the X-ray scanner system is a photon counting CT scanner system.

9. An X-ray scanner system, comprising:

a single slab of a single material placed in a field of view of the X-ray scanner system, wherein the slab has a known linear attenuation coefficient and a known pathlength; and

processing circuitry configured to

scan, with the X-ray scanner system, the slab with at least one X-ray tube located at plural known locations at different corresponding angles relative to the slab so as to scan the slab from the different corresponding angles;

after another single slab of the single material having a different thickness than the single slab is placed in the field of view of the X-ray scanner system, repeat the scan with the X-ray scanner system;

generate material decomposition data based on the scannings at the different corresponding angles for the single slab and the another single slab;

generate air calibration data based on an air scan using the at least one X-ray tube at a rotation speed; and

calibrate a forward model for the X-ray scanner system based on the material decomposition data and the air calibration data.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the at least one X-ray tube is stationary.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the material decomposition data generated by the processing circuitry includes a weighted bin response and a pulse pileup correction term.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the forward model includes a weighted bin response, a pulse pileup correction term, the known linear attenuation coefficient, the known pathlength, and the air calibration data.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein each slab is placed level in the field of view of the X-ray scanner system.

14. The system of claim 9 , wherein each slab fully covers the field of view of the X-ray scanner system.

15. The system of claim 9 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to cause the X-ray scanner system to scan, after the calibrating of the forward model for the X-ray scanner system, an object.

16. The system of claim 9 , wherein the X-ray scanner system is a photon counting CT scanner system.