Patents Examined by Christine S Kim
  • Patent number: 11284848
    Abstract: Certain exemplary method and/or apparatus embodiments herein can include—acquiring a set of data relative to a patient's maxillofacial region through an x-ray CT imaging apparatus, —reconstructing two or more types of maxillofacial data volumes from the same acquired set of data, —displaying at least one slice of the patient's maxillofacial region with a first type of data volume among the volumes (e.g., FDK volume and MAR volume), —selecting a region of interest (ROI) in the displayed at least one slice, a first portion of said first type of data volume being displayed within the ROI, —displaying within the selected ROI a second portion of a second type of data volume, the at least one slice of the patient's maxillofacial region being displayed with the first type of data volume while the ROI is displayed with the second portion of the second type of data volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Inventors: Stephane Varlet, Stephane Alric, Aude Lagardere
  • Patent number: 11278252
    Abstract: A workstation 5 links an X-ray image conforming to the Dicom standard and exposure dose data prepared by an exposure measurement system 7 with use of information on the imaging date and time of the X-ray image conforming to the Dicom standard and information on the imaging date and time of the exposure dose data prepared by the exposure measurement system 7. This enables the workstation 5 to calculate an exposure dose corresponding to each X-ray image. Also, the workstation 5 calculates an exposure dose corresponding to each X-ray examination on the basis of data on the start time and end time of the examination received from a console part 1. An examination time and an imaging technique at each examination, data including information on a subject, and information indicating an exposure dose corresponding to the examination are configured as one piece of data and displayed on a display part 51 of the workstation 5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
    Inventors: Daisuke Notohara, Shinsuke Kanazawa, Tomoharu Okuno
  • Patent number: 11264426
    Abstract: The embodiments disclosed in the present document relate to an image sensor for detecting infrared multi-band light, and an electronic device using same. The image sensor according to the various embodiments of the present invention may comprise: a first filter configured to allow light in the infrared band to pass; a pixel array comprising a first pixel configured to be able to at least detect light of a first band which corresponds to part of the light in the infrared band that passed through the first filter, and a second pixel configured to be able to at least detect light of a second band which corresponds to another part of the light in the infrared band that passed through the first filter; and a second filter provided on top of the first pixel, for lowering electrical reactivity of the first pixel towards light in a band other than the first band.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Inventor: Hwa-Young Kang
  • Patent number: 11263792
    Abstract: A calibration method for an x-ray computerized tomography system and a method of tomographic reconstruction are provided. The calibration method includes steps of measuring at least one point spread function (PSF) at each of a plurality of points, compressing each PSF, and in one or more storing operations, storing the compressed PSFs in a computer-accessible storage medium. The PSF measurements are made in a grid of calibration points in a field of view (FOV) of the system. In the measuring step, an absorber is positioned at each of the calibration points, and an x-ray projection is taken at least once at each of those absorber positions. In the method of tomographic image reconstruction, projection data from an x-ray tomographic projection system are input to an iterative image reconstruction algorithm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC
    Inventors: Edward Steven Jimenez, Jr., Srivathsan Prabu Koundinyan, Isabel Gallegos, Adriana Stohn, Gabriella Dalton
  • Patent number: 11255984
    Abstract: One embodiment provides a method, including: receiving a photon interaction occurring within a photon detector pixel array, wherein the photon detector pixel array comprises a plurality of pixels; determining a photoelectron cloud generated from the photon interaction, wherein the photon detector pixel array comprises an electric field, wherein an electrostatic repulsive force disperses a photon to the photoelectron cloud; identifying a subset of the plurality of pixels associated with the photon interaction, wherein each of the subset of the plurality of pixels corresponds to pixels activated by the photo electron cloud, wherein the subset of the plurality of pixels comprise a central pixel and a plurality of neighboring pixels, wherein the central pixel comprises the pixel having the highest amplitude response to the photon interaction; and determining, from the photoelectron cloud, a characteristic of the photon interaction, wherein the characteristic comprises at least one of: time, position, and energy o
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: KROMEK GROUP, PLC
    Inventors: Brian William Harris, Hidefumi Tomita
  • Patent number: 11255981
    Abstract: There is provided a circuit (502; 503; 504) configured for operation with a multi-bin photon-counting x-ray detector (20) having multiple energy thresholds, wherein said circuit (502; 503; 504) is configured to obtain or generate several Total Time-Over-Threshold (TTOT) signals corresponding to several different energy thresholds, and provide energy integrating information based on said several TTOT signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: PRISMATIC SENSORS AB
    Inventor: Martin Sjölin
  • Patent number: 11249202
    Abstract: A scintillation crystal can include a cesium halide that is co-doped with thallium and another element. In an embodiment, the scintillation crystal can include CsX:Tl, Me, where X represents a halogen, and Me represents a dopant selected from the group consisting of chromium (Cr), zirconium (Zr), cobalt (Co), manganese (Mn), cadmium (Cd), dysprosium (Dy), thulium (Tm), tantalum (Ta), and erbium (Er), the dopant concentration of the element selected from the group consisting of chromium (Cr), zirconium (Zr), cobalt (Co), manganese (Mn), cadmium (Cd), dysprosium (Dy), thulium (Tm), tantalum (Ta), and erbium (Er) in the scintillation crystal is in a range of 1×10?7 mol % to 0.5 mol %. In a particular embodiment, the scintillation crystal may have a cesium iodide host material, a first dopant including a thallium cation, and a second dopant including a cation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: SAINT-GOBAIN CERAMICS & PLASTICS, INC.
    Inventors: Fang Meng, Peter R. Menge
  • Patent number: 11246558
    Abstract: Described is an in-scan phantom for use during an imaging procedure. The phantom can include at least one measuring insert and/or at least one measured insert. The measuring insert may have radiation detecting capabilities while the measured insert may include a radioactive material. Also described is an imaging modality system that includes an imaging modality and an in-scan phantom as well as methods of using the in-scan phantom for imaging a patient or performing a scout scan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: BAYER HEALTHCARE LLC
    Inventors: Arthur Uber, III, Kevin Cowan, David Griffiths, Ivana Kingston, Dzmitry Liushtyk, Matthew Hoiko, Roey Flor, Robert Redmond, Henry Hernaez, Sridhar Balasubramanian
  • Patent number: 11246404
    Abstract: A plaque detecting device including a light emitting unit which irradiates light toward a tooth, and first and second light receiving units which receive radiated light from the tooth. The first light receiving unit extracts the spectral component of a first wavelength region containing fluorescent light specific to plaque and obtains a first output value corresponding to intensity of that spectral component. The second light receiving unit extracts the spectral component of a second wavelength region containing fluorescent light specific to enamel and obtains a second output value corresponding to the intensity of this spectral component. Determination of the relative magnitude of the ratio between the first output value and the second output value as compared to a first threshold value is performed. Determination of the relative magnitude of the difference between the first output value and the second output value as compared to a second threshold value is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: Colgate-Palmolive Company
    Inventors: Hideyuki Yamashita, Kosuke Abe, Hideaki Yoshida, Yasuhiro Kawabata, Masashi Kitamura
  • Patent number: 11243314
    Abstract: A radiation imaging apparatus includes a first pixel, and a second pixel whose sensitivity for radiation is lower than sensitivity of the first pixel; and a decision unit configured to execute a reset operation of resetting charges in the pixels and a decision operation of deciding a radiation dose during irradiation to the apparatus. In the decision operation, the decision unit reads out signals from the first and second pixels at least once, and decides first and second correction values based on the signal read out from the first and second pixel respectively, and reads out signals from the first and second pixels after receiving a radiation irradiation start request, and decides the radiation dose during irradiation to the apparatus using values of the signals read out from the first and second pixels and the first and second correction values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro Fujiyoshi, Minoru Watanabe, Ryosuke Miura
  • Patent number: 11229412
    Abstract: An X-ray imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes an X-ray tube, a photon counting X-ray detector, and a filter unit. A generating unit of the X-ray tube is configured to generate X-rays. The photon counting X-ray detector is configured to count photons contained in the X-rays. The filter unit is provided between the X-ray tube and the photon counting X-ray detector. The filter unit includes a first filter and a second filter. The first filter is configured to shape a spectrum of the X-rays. The second filter is configured to generate X-ray fluorescence on the basis of X-rays related to a spectrum resulting from the shaping by the first filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: CANON MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Go Kawata
  • Patent number: 11231507
    Abstract: A screw compressor includes a screw rotor, a casing, and a fluid supply portion to supply fluid in a membrane form into a compression chamber in the casing. The screw rotor has a male and female rotors. A male bore covering the male rotor and a female bore covering the female rotor are formed on the inner surface of the casing. An intersection line, on a higher pressure side, of the male and female bores is defined as a compression cusp. In a bore development view, a trajectory made by the first intersection of an extension line of a female lobe ridge and a male lobe ridge being moved, along with the rotation of the male and female rotors, is defined as a trajectory line. An opening of the fluid supply section to the compression chamber is positioned between the compression cusp and the trajectory line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Shuichi Hatakeyama, Takahiro Tadokoro, Yuichiro Ueno, Yasushi Nagumo, Katsunori Ueno, Kouichi Okada
  • Patent number: 11226420
    Abstract: A plastic scintillating fiber capable of reducing modal dispersion and improving the accuracy of identifying a position which radiation passes through. A plastic scintillating fiber includes a core and a cladding that covers an outer periphery of the core and has a lower refractive index than the core. The core uniformly contains a radiation-emitting fluorescent agent and has a refractive index distribution where the refractive index of the core is highest at a center of a cross-section and becomes lower in a parabolic manner with distance from the center toward an outer periphery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: KURARAY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Osamu Shinji, Ryuichi Iwakawa
  • Patent number: 11206366
    Abstract: In a case where power P_C supplied to CA during the image reading operation is normal power PN_C, in an AED operation of detecting irradiation start of X-rays, a control unit of an electronic cassette causes at least one of non-detection CAs other than a detection CA that is the charge amplifier connected to a detection channel of a detection pixel for irradiation start detection, among the plurality of CAs connected to a MUX to be in a power saving state in which the supply power P_C is lower than the normal power PN_C during the image reading operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Naoto Iwakiri, Kouichi Kitano, Syo Shimizukawa
  • Patent number: 11199636
    Abstract: A scintillator plate is provided. The scintillator plate comprises a substrate, a scintillator including a plurality of columnar crystals arranged above the substrate, a first protective film, and a second protective film. The first protective film chemically bonds to the plurality of columnar crystals in interfaces with the plurality of columnar crystals, and the substrate and the second protective film seal the scintillator and the first protective film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tetsunori Ojima
  • Patent number: 11199649
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a metamaterial focal plane array for broad spectrum imaging. Electromagnetic energy in the form of light is absorbed in or on a metamaterial absorber and a subsequent hot carriers are collected either in a semiconductor space charge region (e.g. P-N junction), or in some other modern collection scheme. Following the accumulation of photogenerated charge (electrons or holes), the signal is then converted to a digital signal using conventional or slightly modified ROIC modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Timothy Allen Morgan, Benjamin R. Conley
  • Patent number: 11194058
    Abstract: A radiation imaging apparatus is provided. The apparatus comprises pixels configured to detect radiation with a first sensitivity and a second sensitivity lower than the first sensitivity. Each of the pixels starts an operation for accumulating a signal with the first sensitivity in accordance with a start of irradiation of the radiation imaging apparatus with radiation, samples an accumulated signal as a first signal after lapse of a first time shorter than a period of irradiation with radiation since a start of an operation for accumulating a signal, switches to the second sensitivity, and accumulates a signal, samples an accumulated signal as a second signal in accordance with an end of irradiation of the radiation imaging apparatus with radiation, and outputs the first signal and the second signal to generate a radiation image based on the first signal and the second signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yuichi Naito
  • Patent number: 11185303
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: an acquisition unit that acquires a radiographic image generated by a radiation detector irradiated with radiation from a radiography apparatus including the radiation detector in which plural pixels, each of which includes a conversion element that generates a larger amount of charge as it is irradiated with a larger amount of radiation, are arranged; and a correction unit that corrects scattered ray components caused by scattered rays of the radiation included in the radiographic image on the basis of region information indicating a region of the radiation detector irradiated with radiation transmitted through a subject, using scattered ray correction data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Takeshi Kuwabara
  • Patent number: 11185718
    Abstract: A phantom is described. The phantom having a spherical phantom body and an X-ray luminescent material, wherein at least a portion of the X-ray luminescent material is on a surface of the phantom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: Accuray Incorporated
    Inventors: Warren Kilby, Petr Jordan, John Noll, Calvin Maurer, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11187818
    Abstract: A scintillation crystal can include Ln(1-y)REyX3, wherein Ln represents a rare earth element, RE represents a different rare earth element, y has a value in a range of 0 to 1, and X represents a halogen. In an embodiment, the scintillation crystal is doped with a Group 1 element, a Group 2 element, or a mixture thereof, and the scintillation crystal is formed from a melt having a concentration of such elements or mixture thereof of at least approximately 0.02 wt. %. In another embodiment, the scintillation crystal can have unexpectedly improved proportionality and unexpectedly improved energy resolution properties. In a further embodiment, a radiation detection apparatus can include the scintillation crystal, a photosensor, and an electronics device. Such a radiation detection apparatus can be useful in a variety of applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignees: TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT DELFT, STICHTING VOOR DE TECHNISCHE WETENSCHAPPEN
    Inventors: Pieter Dorenbos, Karl W. Kramer