IP Library Granted Patent US 12,372,678
Granted Patent B2
US 12,372,678 · App. 18/267,255 · Granted Jul 29, 2025

Calibration device and calibration method for detector

Inventors: Shuichiro Yamamoto (Yokohama, JP); Masahiro Okada (Yokohama, JP); Masashi Yamasaki (Yokohama, JP); Daisuke Hashimoto (Yokohama, JP); Hiroaki Hayashi (Kanazawa, JP); Natsumi Kimoto (Kanazawa, JP)
Assignee: Job Corporation
G01T7/005G01T1/24
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,372,678
App. No.
18/267,255
Granted
Jul 29, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Provided is a calibration method for a detector including a plurality of detecting elements each of which generates an electrical pulse signal with a peak value corresponding to an energy value of incident X-ray photons and counts a photon count for each peak value, including: applying a predetermined tube voltage to an X-ray tube for irradiating the detector with X-rays; acquiring the photon count for each peak value from each of the detecting elements; estimating a maximum peak value H within a range in which X-ray photons are detected and at which the peak value is maximum; and calculating, for each of the detecting elements, a calibration value that associates the tube voltage with the maximum peak value H.

Claims (18)

1. A calibration device for a detector including a plurality of detecting elements each of which generates an electrical pulse signal with a peak value corresponding to an energy value of incident X-ray photons and counts a photon count for each peak value, the calibration device comprising:

an X-ray tube control unit that controls a tube voltage of an X-ray tube for irradiating the detector with X-rays;

an acquisition unit that acquires the photon count for each peak value from each of the detecting elements and acquires the tube voltage of the X-ray tube;

a calculation unit that estimates a maximum peak value within a range in which X-ray photons are detected from values obtained by the acquisition unit and at which the peak value is maximum; and

a calibration unit that calculates, for each of the detecting elements, a calibration value that associates the tube voltage acquired by the acquisition unit with the maximum peak value, wherein

the X-ray tube control unit is configured to change the tube voltage in a state corresponding to an energy value serving as a boundary of a plurality of predetermined ranges of energy values, and

the calibration unit is configured to calculate a calibration value for each tube voltage.

2. The calibration device according to claim 1 , wherein the calculation unit is configured to determine an approximate straight line based on a relationship between the photon count and the peak value, within a predetermined range that is smaller than the peak value corresponding to the tube voltage acquired by the acquisition unit, and designates a value of the peak value when the photon count becomes zero on the approximate straight line as the maximum peak value.

3. The calibration device according to claim 1 , wherein the calculation unit is configured to determine an approximate straight line based on a relationship between a square root of the photon count and the peak value, within a predetermined range that is smaller than the peak value corresponding to the tube voltage acquired by the acquisition unit, and designates a value of the peak value when the photon count becomes zero on the approximate straight line as the maximum peak value.

4. A calibration method for a detector including a plurality of detecting elements each of which generates an electrical pulse signal with a peak value corresponding to an energy value of incident X-ray photons and counts a photon count for each peak value, the calibration method comprising:

applying a predetermined tube voltage to an X-ray tube for irradiating the detector with X-rays;

acquiring the photon count for each peak value from each of the detecting elements;

estimating a maximum peak value within a range in which X-ray photons are detected and at which the peak value is maximum;

calculating, for each of the detecting elements, a calibration value that associates the tube voltage with the maximum peak value;

applying a tube voltage corresponding to one of energy values serving as a boundary of a plurality of predetermined ranges of the energy values to the X-ray tube to acquire the calibration value for each of the detecting elements; and

applying a tube voltage corresponding to another of the energy values serving as a boundary of the plurality of predetermined ranges of the energy values to the X-ray tube to acquire the calibration value for each of the detecting elements.

5. The calibration method according to claim 4 , further comprising: determining an approximate straight line based on a relationship between the photon count and the peak value, within a predetermined range that is smaller than the peak value corresponding to the tube voltage; and designating a value of the peak value when the photon count becomes zero on the approximate straight line as the maximum peak value.

6. The calibration method according to claim 4 , further comprising: determining an approximate straight line based on a relationship between a square root of the photon count and the peak value, within a predetermined range that is smaller than the peak value corresponding to the tube voltage; and designating a value of the peak value when the photon count becomes zero on the approximate straight line as the maximum peak value.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 14, 2023
From: YAMAMOTO, SHUICHIRO; OKADA, MASAHIRO; YAMASAKI, MASASHI; HASHIMOTO, DAISUKE; HAYASHI, HIROAKI; KIMOTO, NATSUMI
To: JOB CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 063947/0782 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240036223A1 · Feb 1, 2024
References Cited (7)
US 11009470B2 · Yamakawa et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 11045153B2 · Takahashi · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20220361830A1 · Loustauneau · 2022 [cited by examiner]
JP 2019020334A · 2019 [cited by applicant]
JP 6590381B2 · 2019 [cited by applicant]
Vespucci et al., “Robust Energy Calibration Technique for Photon Counting Spectral Detectors”, IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging., Apr. 2, 2019, vol. 38, No. 4, pp. 968-978, section II. B. 3), C. -D., F. [cited by applicant]
Zambon et al., “A wide energy range calibration algorithm for X-ray photon counting pixel detectors using high-Z sensor material”, Nuclear Inst. and Methods in Physics Research, A., Feb. 12, 2019, vol. 925, pp. 164-171,… [cited by applicant]