Plural Or Composite Luminophor Patents (Class 250/367)
  • Patent number: 7538330
    Abstract: A radiation detection apparatus includes an optical detector disposed on a substrate and having a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements which convert light into an electrical signal, and a scintillator layer disposed on the optical detector and having a columnar crystal structure which converts radiation into light, wherein the concentration of an activator of the scintillator layer is higher at the radiation-incident side opposite the optical detector and is lower at the optical detector side. The scintillator panel includes the substrate and the scintillator layer disposed on the substrate, wherein the concentration of the activator of the scintillator layer is higher at the radiation-incident side and is lower at the light-emission side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2009
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Keiichi Nomura, Kazumi Nagano, Yoshihiro Ogawa, Satoshi Okada
  • Patent number: 7535009
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for generating images and/or projections, which device includes a device for the detection of input radiation. The device for the detection of input radiation comprises a sensor with a Pr3+-activated scintillator for converting the input radiation into UV radiation. The Pr3+-activated scintillators have short excitation and decay times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2009
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Thomas Juestel, Walter Mayr, Herfried Karl Wieczorek
  • Patent number: 7521685
    Abstract: A structured scintillator and a detection system employing structured scintillators. More specifically, a structured scintillator comprising a scintillator material having a plurality of isolated structures is disclosed. The structures may be conical in shape. The structures may be formed on a substantially transparent material layer which has been patterned to form a plurality of isolated regions. The structures may be formed on top of the isolated regions to provide isolated scintillator structures having space therebetween. The isolated regions and scintillator structures may be aligned with underlying detection devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: William Hennessy, Jeffrey Shaw, Ching-Yeu Wei, Yun Li
  • Publication number: 20090072157
    Abstract: In a method of manufacturing a radiation detector according to this invention, a lattice frame 40 is stored in a receptacle 50, and scintillators 1SF and 1SR are also stored therein. The lattice frame 40 and scintillators 1SF and 1SR are once taken out of the receptacle in a state of trial assembly as a two-stage scintillator block in trial assembly 54. The lattice frame 40 and scintillators 1SF and 1SR in trial assembly are stored in the receptacle 50 into which an optical binding material has been poured. This method can reduce trouble occurring in manufacture to realize a radiation detector simply.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2006
    Publication date: March 19, 2009
    Inventor: Hiromichi Tonami
  • Patent number: 7495223
    Abstract: A photomultiplier tube, a photomultiplier tube unit, and a performance-improved radiation detector for increasing a fixing area of a side tube in a faceplate while increasing an effective sensitive area of the faceplate. In the photomultiplier tube, a side face (3c) of the faceplate (3) protrudes outward from an outer side wall (2b) of a metal side tube (2), so that a light receiving area for receiving light passing through a light receiving face (3d) of the faceplate (3) is increased. The overhanging structure of the faceplate (3) is conceived based on a glass refractive index. The overhanging structure is aimed to receive light as much as possible which has not been received before. When the metal side tube (2) is fused to the glass faceplate (3), a fusing method is adopted due to joint between glass and metal. Joint operation between the faceplate (3) and the side tube (2) is reliably ensured. Accordingly, the overhanging structure of the faceplate (3) is effective.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2009
    Assignee: Hamamatsu Photonics K. K.
    Inventors: Hideki Shimoi, Akira Atsumi, Hiroyuki Kyushima
  • Publication number: 20090039271
    Abstract: A phoswich radiation detector for simultaneous spectroscopy of beta rays and gamma rays includes three scintillators with different decay time characteristics. Two of the three scintillators are used for beta detection and the third scintillator is used for gamma detection. A pulse induced by an interaction of radiation with the detector is digitally analyzed to classify the type of event as beta, gamma, or unknown. A pulse is classified as a beta event if the pulse originated from just the first scintillator alone or from just the first and the second scintillator. A pulse from just the third scintillator is recorded as gamma event. Other pulses are rejected as unknown events.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2008
    Publication date: February 12, 2009
    Inventors: Abdollah T. Farsoni, David M. Harnby
  • Patent number: 7489077
    Abstract: A glass container has a faceplate, a side tube, and a bottom. A photocathode is formed on the inner side of the faceplate. The glass container includes a partitioning wall, a shield electrode, a first dynode, a second dynode, a dynode array, and an anode. The partitioning wall has a cross shape to divide an electron focusing space into four space segments. The shield electrode is provided to shield the second dynode from the photocathode. A Venetian blind type of dynodes is provided as the dynode array. The first dynode, the second dynode, the dynode array, and the anode are maintained at the potential which is higher than that of the photocathode. Electrons emitted from the photocathode in response to incident light thereon efficiently impinge on the dynodes regardless of where the electrons are emitted. The electrons are multiplied and then detected by the anode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2009
    Assignee: Hamamatsu Photonics K.K.
    Inventors: Suenori Kimura, Takayuki Ohmura, Teruhiko Yamaguchi, Masuo Ito
  • Publication number: 20090032717
    Abstract: A depth of interaction-sensitive crystal scintillation detector features crystal types that alternate in three-dimensional checkerboard fashion, each type having a different crystal decay time. One or more photosensors are disposed on each of at least two orthogonal surfaces. The scintillation detector provides improved depth of interaction resolution. The different crystal types are identified by pulse shape discrimination processing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2007
    Publication date: February 5, 2009
    Applicant: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Mehmet Aykac, Ronald Grazioso
  • Publication number: 20090032718
    Abstract: A color scintillator 26 comprises: an optical substrate having bundled optical fibers; an acicular scintillator 50 provided with the optical substrate 30, the acicular scintillator having either of an acicular crystal structure and a columnar crystal structure, the acicular scintillator reacting with at least one of an electromagnetic wave and a radial ray into light emitting; and a coating scintillator 51 coating the acicular scintillator 50, the coating scintillator reacting with at least one of another electromagnetic wave and another radial ray which differ in either of an energy and a type from the electromagnetic wave and the radial ray reacting with the acicular scintillator 50 into light emitting in a different color from an emitting color in the acicular scintillator 50.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2008
    Publication date: February 5, 2009
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Koichi NITTOH, Kunihiko Nakayama, Keisuke Kitsukawa, Motohisa Abe, Takashi Noji
  • Patent number: 7479638
    Abstract: The invention relates to the production of a scintillator system which comprises an Anti-Scatter-Grid (20) and an arrangement of scintillator cells. In a first processing step, a rectangular pattern of slots (11, 12) is cut into the top surface of a scintillator crystal (10). An Anti-Scatter-Grid (20) is then inserted with one end into said slots and fixed there with a glue. Finally, the top layer (thickness d) is separated from the scintillator crystal (10) yielding the desired scintillator system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2009
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Ralf Dorscheid, Gereon Vogtmeier
  • Patent number: 7453067
    Abstract: A detector is disclosed, including at least one scintillator and at least one photodiode, connected to one another by a connecting medium. The scintillator has a defined depression for holding the connecting medium on its side facing the photodiode in such a way that the visible light produced by the scintillator is focused in the direction of the photodiode. The detector is provided for an imaging X-ray unit, for example a computed tomography unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2008
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Frank Berger, Michael Miess
  • Patent number: 7439515
    Abstract: Correction of scintillation event data from a nuclear medicine imaging system for effects of pulse pile-up is carried out by separating event data packets into total energy and individual detector energy data packets, executing pile-up correction algorithms on each of the separated packets simultaneously using a pipeline processing architecture, and reassembling the corrected data packets into corrected scintillation event data packets. Pulse tail correction information for each individual detector is stored in a storage medium for a present event and immediately preceding event for which correction information exists, which allows individual detector correction information to be retrieved by using a look-up procedure, thereby enabling correction to be performed within a single processor cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventor: Donald Bak
  • Publication number: 20080251728
    Abstract: The intrinsic background of a gamma ray spectrometer is significantly reduced by surrounding the scintillator with a second scintillator. This second (external) scintillator surrounds the first scintillator and has an opening of approximately the same diameter as the smaller central scintillator in the forward direction. The second scintillator is selected to have a higher atomic number, and thus has a larger probability for a Compton scattering interaction than within the inner region. Scattering events that are essentially simultaneous in coincidence to the first and second scintillators, from an electronics perspective, are precluded electronically from the data stream. Thus, only gamma-rays that are wholly contained in the smaller central scintillator are used for analytic purposes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2008
    Publication date: October 16, 2008
    Inventors: Norman W. Madden, Frederick S. Goulding, Stephen J. Aszlalos
  • Patent number: 7435975
    Abstract: A scintillator plate for radiation containing a substrate having thereon a fluorescent layer, wherein the fluorescent layer contains CsF crystals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2008
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Medical & Graphic, Inc.
    Inventors: Takehiko Shoji, Yasushi Nakano, Mika Sakai
  • Patent number: 7435965
    Abstract: The invention concerns an x-ray detector with a plurality of layers arranged one top of one another in the incident direction of the x-rays, whereby each of the layers comprises at least one photodiode and a luminophore layer applied thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2008
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Manfred Fuchs, Detlef Mattern, Peter Schardt
  • Patent number: 7417237
    Abstract: The radiographic image conversion panel for mammography includes a phosphor layer formed on a rectangular substrate having first and second pairs of two parallel sides, and sealed with a moisture-proof protective film. The phosphor layer is positioned on the substrate such that a distance from at least one side of the first pair to an adjacent end of the phosphor layer is shorter than a critical bonding length being a shortest bonding length long enough to provide a predetermined level of moisture-proof effect and distances from two sides of the second pair to adjacent ends of the phosphor layer are not shorter than the critical length. A seal bonding layer is formed in areas of the second distance, and on a side surface having the at least one side or on the side surface and a rear surface of the substrate. The phosphor layer may be formed in a recess formed in the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2008
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Yuichi Hosoi
  • Publication number: 20080197287
    Abstract: The disclosure relates generally to methods and apparatus for obtaining a super resolution image of a sample using a fiber array spectral translator system. In one embodiment includes collecting photons from a sample at a first end of a fiber array spectral translator; delivering the photons from a second end of the fiber array spectral translator into a multiple detector rows of a photon detector; interpolating between the multiple detector rows to thereby form interpolated rows; and arranging an output of the multiple detector rows and the interpolated rows so as to obtain a super resolution image of the sample.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2007
    Publication date: August 21, 2008
    Applicant: CHEMIMAGE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Matthew P. Nelson, Jason H. Neiss, Patrick J. Treado
  • Publication number: 20080191140
    Abstract: Dual modality detection devices and methods are provided for detecting nuclear material, the devices include a neutron detector including multiple neutron detection modules; and a gamma detector including multiple gamma detection modules, where the multiple neutron detection modules and the multiple gamma detection modules are integrated together in a single unit to detect simultaneously both gamma rays and neutrons.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2007
    Publication date: August 14, 2008
    Inventors: Daniel Bruno McDevitt, Jeffrey Wayne Eberhard, Bernhard Erich Hermann Claus, Scott Stephen Zelakiewicz, Joseph Bendahan
  • Patent number: 7412024
    Abstract: A digital x-ray phase contrast soft tissue imaging and mammography system offers significant cancer detection sensitivity and a significant improvement in accurate detection and interpretation of mammograms. In addition, the proposed system produces digital mammograms and thus has the advantages of digital mammography. The system overcomes the limitation of the current approaches to mammography using phase contrast effects and offers substantially higher performance than the current mammography used in hospitals and clinics. The proposed system uses the phase contrast imaging, in a breast and other soft tissue structures, instead of absorption contrast employed in the current x-ray mammography, allowing detection of smaller disease structures with substantial reduction in radiation dose.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Xradia, Inc.
    Inventors: Wenbing Yun, Yuxin Wang
  • Patent number: 7408164
    Abstract: A detector array including a plurality of scintillators for use in association with an imaging device. The detector array is provided for accurate determination of the location of the impingement of radiation upon an individual scintillator detector. An air gap is disposed between the scintillator elements, thereby increasing the packing fraction and overall sensitivity of the array. The amount of light transmitted down the scintillator element and the amount of light transmitted to adjacent elements is modified to optimize the identification of each element in a position profile map by adjusting the surface finish of the detector elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2008
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthias J. Schmand, Lars A. Eriksson, Niraj K. Doshi, Mehmet Aykac, Ronald Nutt
  • Patent number: 7388208
    Abstract: A dual-energy x-ray detector includes a plurality of x-ray detector elements that detect x-rays that are generated by an x-ray source and that have passed through an object. Each of the x-ray detector elements includes a first scintillator layer adapted to convert x-rays from the x-ray source that have passed through the object into light of a first wavelength, and a second scintillator layer positioned behind the first scintillator layer and adapted to convert x-rays from the x-ray source that have passed through the object and through the first scintillator layer into light of a second wavelength. Each of the x-ray detector elements further includes a first optical sensor having a spectral sensitivity substantially matched to light of the first wavelength, and a second optical sensor having a spectral sensitivity substantially matched to light of the second wavelength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2008
    Inventor: Ruvin Deych
  • Patent number: 7381956
    Abstract: The invention relates to a detector element (1) for gamma radiation, which is particularly suitable for use in a PEF apparatus. The detector element (1) consists of two or more different conversion units (11, 12), which react to the absorption of a gamma quantum (y) with light emissions (?1, ?2) of different spectral composition. A photodetector arrangement (30) may therefore discriminate between the sites of origin of the light emissions by means of their spectral characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Michael Overdick, Augusto Nascetti, Herfried Karl Wieczorek
  • Patent number: 7372045
    Abstract: An object is to provide a scintillator plate exhibiting even sharpness, and further exhibiting enhanced sharpness by use of CsI crystals. Disclosed is a scintillator plate for radiation comprising a support and provided thereon a phosphor layer emitting light caused upon exposure to radiation, wherein the phosphor layer comprises a plurality of phosphor columnar crystals, and any two phosphor columnar crystal diameters represented by a and b (a?b) satisfy the following inequality of 1.0?a/b<1.5. Further disclosed is a scintillator plate for radiation comprising a support and provided thereon a phosphor layer emitting light caused upon exposure to radiation, wherein the phosphor layer comprises a phosphor made from cesium iodide (CsI) as a base material and an activator, and a most dominant growth direction in the phosphor is (n 0 0) plane (where n=1, 2 or 3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2008
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Medical & Graphic, Inc.
    Inventors: Masashi Kondo, Takehiko Shoji
  • Patent number: 7365336
    Abstract: The Low-energy Imaging Particle Spectrometer (LIPS) is configured as a “pinhole camera” with particle-specific scintillator focal planes. The scintillators are designed specifically to respond only to either protons or electrons within a specific energy range. The scintillators are coupled directly to a multi-anode photomultiplier tube (PMT). Owing to their particle-specific response, the scintillators themselves provide the particle discrimination. The pulse amplitude defines the particle energy and the spatial position provides angular information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2008
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Gary E. Galica, Francesca Scire-Scappuzzo, Joy S. G. Stafford-Evans
  • Patent number: 7361902
    Abstract: The invention relates to a radiation detector for detecting radiation impinging in a detection zone, having detector elements which are arranged in the form of a preferably two-dimensional array in rows and columns running orthogonally with respect to one another and each have a scintillator and a photodiode interacting with the latter. In this case, detector elements arranged at the edge of array are provided, whose scintillators have an extent transversely with respect to the edge of the array which is larger than is necessary for encompassing the detection zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2008
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Thomas Von Der Haar
  • Patent number: 7351525
    Abstract: The present invention discloses an in vitro method to identify a contaminant gas in a specimen comprising a mixture of gases as a function of the decay rate of at least one species of positronium. The positronium is obtained by directing the positrons from a positron source in to a vessel that contains a specimen containing the mixture of gases comprising a contaminant gas to be identified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: Alert Tech Systems, LLC
    Inventor: Gerald Smith
  • Patent number: 7330532
    Abstract: This invention relates to an optically coupled digital radiography method and apparatus for simultaneously obtaining two distinct images of the same subject, each of which represents a different x-ray energy spectrum. The two images may be combined in various ways such that anatomical features may be separated from one another to provide a clearer view of those features or of underlying structures. The two different images are obtained using a pair of scintillators separated by an x-ray filter that attenuates part of the x-ray spectrum of an x-ray exposure such that the first and second scintillators receive a different energy spectrum of the same x-ray exposure. Alternatively, the two different images can be obtained without a filter and with two scintillators made of different fluorescing materials that react differently to the same x-ray exposure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2008
    Assignee: Imaging Dynamics Company Ltd.
    Inventor: Robin Winsor
  • Patent number: 7329875
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a detector array for an imaging system, the method comprising providing a pixelated scintillator having a plurality of lost molded pixels comprising a scintillator material adapted to detect radiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Kevin Paul McEvoy, James Scott Vartuli, Stephen Thomas Tedeschi, Steven Jude Duclos, Martin Kin-Fei Lee, Venkat Subramaniam Venkataramani, James Anthony Brewer, Robert Joseph Lyons, Mohandas Nayak
  • Patent number: 7326933
    Abstract: A radiation or neutron detector wherein lateral side light detecting optical fibers prepared from clear optical fibers that are scraped on a lateral side to permit side incidence of fluorescence are used to detect the fluorescence from a phosphor or a scintillator such that the background to gamma-rays is reduced. If desired, the optical fibers may be bent at 90 degrees and guided to a photomultiplier tube in order to reduce the size of the detector. Fabrication and maintenance of the detector can be facilitated by adopting such a design that a detecting block comprising a detection medium and lateral side light detecting optical fibers is separated from a readout block comprising clear optical fibers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute
    Inventors: Masaki Katagiri, Masahito Matsubayashi
  • Patent number: 7310405
    Abstract: A scintillator pack comprises an array of scintillator pixels and an x-ray absorbing layer disposed in inter-scintillator regions between the scintillator pixels. The x-ray absorbing layer acts to absorb x-rays and protect underlying regions of the inter-scintillator regions. The x-ray absorbing layer may be formed by a number of methods including casting and melt infiltration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Venkat Subramaniam Venkataramani, Steven Jude Duclos
  • Patent number: 7285783
    Abstract: A side tube includes a tube head, a funnel-shaped connection neck, and a tube main body, which are arranged along a tube axis and which are integrated together into the side tube. The size of a cross section of the tube head perpendicular to the tube axis is larger than the size of a cross section of the tube main body perpendicular to the tube axis. The radius of curvature of rounded corners of the tube head is smaller than the radius of curvature of rounded corners of the tube main body. The length of the tube head along the tube axis is shorter than the length of the tube main body along the tube axis. One surface of a faceplate is connected to the tube head. A photocathode is formed on the surface of the faceplate in its area located inside the tube head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2007
    Assignee: Hamamatsu Photonics K.K.
    Inventors: Teruhiko Yamaguchi, Suenori Kimura, Minoru Suzuki, Yoshitaka Nakamura
  • Patent number: 7286640
    Abstract: A digital dual-band detector functions as an imaging platform capable of extracting hard and soft tissue images, for example. The detector has a first detector system comprising a first scintillator for converting x-rays from a sample to an first optical signal, and a first detector for detecting the first optical signal in combination with a second detector system comprising a second scintillator for converting x-rays from the sample and passing through the first scintillator to a second optical signal, and a second detector for detecting the second optical signal. The detector can facilitate the implementation and deployment of recent developments and can permit low cost practical deployment in clinical applications as well as biomedical research applications where significant improvement in spatial resolution and image contrast is required.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2007
    Assignee: Xradia, Inc.
    Inventors: Wenbing Yun, Yuxin Wang, David Dean Scott
  • Patent number: 7282713
    Abstract: A composition including at least one of a glass composition and a glass ceramic composition, the composition includes a plurality of scintillator crystals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Haochuan Jiang, David Michael Hoffman
  • Patent number: 7279120
    Abstract: This invention provides novel cadmium tungstate scintillator materials that show improved radiation hardness. In particular, it was discovered that doping of cadmium tungstate (CdWO4) with trivalent metal ions or monovalent metal ions is particularly effective in improving radiation hardness of the scintillator material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2007
    Assignee: Intematix Corporation
    Inventors: Shifan Cheng, Yi-Qun Li
  • Patent number: 7276705
    Abstract: A luminescent body is for an X-ray detector, in particular for an X-ray computer tomograph. It contains a ceramic of the general composition (M1-xLnx)2O2S, M being at least one element selected from the group: Y, La, Sc, Lu and/or Gd, and Ln being at least one element selected from the group: Eu, Ce, Pr, Tb, Yb, Dy, Sm and/or Ho. In order to improve the spatial resolution of the luminescent body, the ceramic is used in the form of fibers, which are connected in a parallel alignment to constitute a fiber plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2007
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Juergen Leppert
  • Patent number: 7276704
    Abstract: A photomultiplier tube, a photomultiplier tube unit, and a performance-improved radiation detector for increasing a fixing area of a side tube in a faceplate while increasing an effective sensitive area of the faceplate. In the photomultiplier tube, a side face (3c) of the faceplate (3) protrudes outward from an outer side wall (2b) of a metal side tube (2), so that a light receiving area for receiving light passing through a light receiving face (3d) of the faceplate (3) is increased. The overhanging structure of the faceplate (3) is conceived based on a glass refractive index. The overhanging structure is aimed to receive light as much as possible which has not been received before. When the metal side tube (2) is fused to the glass faceplate (3), a fusing method is adopted due to joint between glass and metal. Joint operation between the faceplate (3) and the side tube (2) is reliably ensured. Accordingly, the overhanging structure of the faceplate (3) is effective.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2007
    Assignee: Hamamatsu Photonics K.K.
    Inventors: Hideki Shimoi, Akira Atsumi, Hiroyuki Kyushima
  • Patent number: 7274023
    Abstract: The gamma-radiation module includes a housing having a box-like container and a cover for hermetically sealing a pair of cylinders within the housing. Each cylinder includes scintillation material and a photomultiplier tube on a common cylindrical axis. The hermetically sealed module may be used singly or in multiple modules in portal applications whereby gamma-radiation from a source may be detected through a gamma-radiation transparent cover on the module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Lucas Lemar Clarke, James R. Williams, Brian Marshall Palmer, Keith D. Jones, Nathan Herbert Johnson, Thomas Robert Anderson
  • Patent number: 7271395
    Abstract: A device and method for measuring a depth of interaction of an ionizing event and improving resolution of a co-planar grid sensor (CPG) are provided. A time-of-occurrence is measured using a comparator to time the leading edge of the event pulse from the non-collecting or collecting grid. A difference signal between the grid signals obtained with a differential amplifier includes a pulse with a leading edge occurring at the time-of-detection, measured with another comparator. A timing difference between comparator outputs corresponds to the depth of interaction, calculated using a processor, which in turn weights the difference grid signal to improve spectral resolution of a CPG sensor. The device, which includes channels for grid inputs, may be integrated into an Application Specific Integrated Circuit. The combination of the device and sensor is included. An improved high-resolution CPG is provided, e.g., a gamma-ray Cadmium Zinc Telluride CPG sensor operating at room temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2007
    Assignee: Brookhaven Science Associates, LLC
    Inventor: Gianluigi DeGeronimo
  • Patent number: 7265357
    Abstract: A scintillator layer is disclosed for a spatially resolving X-ray detector. Apertures provided in a plate and in the form of a grid, are filled with a filling compound formed from a polymer and a phosphor powder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2007
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Khanh Pham Gia, Wolfgang Rossner
  • Patent number: 7244942
    Abstract: A method for producing a high resolution detector array so as to provide very high packing fraction, i.e., the distance between scintillator elements is minimized so the detector efficiency will be higher than is currently achievable. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the fabrication methodology is enhanced by handling LSO bars rather than single crystals when gluing on the Lumirror® as well as etching the LSO. Namely, an LSO boule is cut into wide bars of a selected dimension, for example 30 mm, which are then acid etched or mechanically polished. A selected number, N, of these LSO bars can then be glued together with Lumirror® sheets between each bar (coating the LSO disks and Lumirror® sheets with Epotek 301-2). The glued bar block is then cut again into bars in a perpendicular direction, and these new LSO-Lumirror® bars are etched.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2007
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark S. Andreaco, Charles W. Williams, J. Clifton Moyers, Keith Vaigneur
  • Patent number: 7244943
    Abstract: An X-ray image acquisition apparatus (15) includes a conversion panel (20) aligned with a photo detector array (40). The conversion panel (20) includes a plurality of conversion cells (22), each including a conversion body (31), an X-ray transparent and light reflective file over the top (32) of the body (31), and a light reflective film (36) surrounding the body (31). The body (31) is made of a scintillating material that efficiently generates optical light photons in response to X-ray radiation illuminating thereon and is substantially transparent to the optical light photons. The body (31) is also sufficiently long to absorb the X-ray radiation over a wide range of energy levels. The light reflective films (36, 38) collimate the optical light photons generated in the body (31) toward the photo detector array (40) to form X-ray images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2007
    Assignee: Varian Medical Systems Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Edward J. Seppi
  • Patent number: 7244947
    Abstract: A broad spectrum neutron detector has a thermal neutron sensitive scintillator film interleaved with a hydrogenous thermalizing media. The neutron detector has negligible sensitivity to gamma rays and produces a strong and unambiguous signal for virtually all neutrons that interact with the hydrogenous volume. The interleaving of the layers of thermal neutron sensitive phosphors helps ensure that all parts of the thermalizing volume are highly sensitive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2007
    Assignee: Science Applications International Corporation
    Inventors: Raulf M. Polichar, Janis Baltgalvis
  • Patent number: 7238943
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described for asymmetrically placed cross-coupled scintillation crystals. A method includes coupling a plurality of photomultiplier tubes to a scintillation crystal array, the scintillation crystal array defining a plurality of corner edges, wherein a first corner edge of the plurality of corner edges is aligned with a first center of a first photomultiplier tube of the plurality of photomultiplier tubes and a second corner edge of the plurality of corner edges is not aligned with a second center of a second photomultiplier tube of the plurality of photomultiplier tubes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2007
    Assignee: Board of Regents, The University of Texas System
    Inventors: Wai-Hoi Wong, Jorge Uribe, Hossain Baghaei, Hongdi Li
  • Patent number: 7238944
    Abstract: A detector for x-ray computer tomography scanners, includes a number of adjacent detector lines extending in an x direction, whereby each detector line is formed from a multitude of adjacent scintillator elements. In order to increase the resolution in the z direction and to simplify the design of the detector, the surface of the scintillator elements are partially covered, which further serves to reduce the size of the aperture in the z direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2007
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Herbert Bruder, Thomas Flohr, Karl Stierstorfer
  • Patent number: 7224766
    Abstract: The present invention is a directed to a non-pixelated scintillator array for a CT detector as well as an apparatus and method of manufacturing same. The scintillator array is comprised of a number of ceramic fibers or single crystal fibers that are aligned in parallel with respect to one another. As a result, the pack has very high dose efficiency. Furthermore, each fiber is designed to direct light out to a photodiode with very low scattering loss. The fiber size (cross-sectional diameter) may be controlled such that smaller fibers may be fabricated for higher resolution applications. Moreover, because the fiber size can be controlled to be consistent throughout the scintillator array and the fibers are aligned in parallel with one another, the scintillator array, as a whole, also is uniform. Therefore, precise alignment with the photodiode array or the collimator assembly is not necessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Haochuan Jiang, David M. Hoffman, James S. Vartuli
  • Patent number: 7202479
    Abstract: A method for assigning a pulse profile, in particular a pulse profile of a scintillation detector having at least two scintillation materials with different decay characteristics, to one of a plurality of pulse types with differing decay times, encompasses the method steps of: acquiring an output pulse profile and converting the pulse profile into an electrical signal whose amplitude-time profile represents the pulse profile of the output pulse; transforming the amplitude-time profile into the frequency space in order to obtain an amplitude-frequency profile representing the output pulse; normalizing the amplitude-frequency profile in order to obtain a normalized amplitude-frequency profile; comparing the normalized amplitude-frequency profile with a predetermined reference profile; and assigning the output pulse profile to one of the pulse types on the basis of the result of the comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2007
    Assignee: Forschungszentrum Julich GmbH
    Inventors: Hassan Saleh, Egon Zimmerman, Horst Halling
  • Patent number: 7196331
    Abstract: A detector module is proposed for producing an X-ray detector for an X-ray computed tomograph. The module includes a number of detector units, each including sensor elements arranged next to one another in the z-direction and in a phi-direction running perpendicular thereto. The detector units are held on a carrier plate in the manner of a column extending in the z-direction. In order to ensure a precise alignment of the sensor elements, the detector units are positioned on the carrier plate via a collimator element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2007
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Bjoern Heismann
  • Patent number: 7180070
    Abstract: A radiation detector for imaging a sheet-shaped beam (11) of ionizing radiation comprises an electron multiplication chamber (12) filled with a medium for electron multiplication; and a solid multichannel structure (14) arranged in the path of the sheet-shaped beam within the chamber, wherein the structure liberates electrons (16a) in response to being exposed to the radiation. An electron detecting means (17d) is provided for detecting the electrons spatially resolved to thereby image the sheet-shaped beam. The structure (14) is of a scintillating material, so that said the structure emits scintillating light in response to being exposed to the radiation; and detecting means (19–20) are provided for detecting scintillating light (18) emitted from the structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Assignee: XCounter AB
    Inventors: Vladimir Peskov, Tom Francke
  • Patent number: 7166849
    Abstract: A scintillator array for use in a CT imaging system and a method for making the scintillator array are provided. The scintillator array includes a plurality of projecting elements disposed proximate one another. The scintillator array further includes a glass compound containing a plurality of reflective particles being disposed on the plurality of projecting elements, wherein the projecting elements emit light in response to receiving x-rays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Haochuan Jiang, David Michael Hoffman
  • Patent number: RE40291
    Abstract: Light-receiving devices are two-dimensionally arranged on a substrate, bonding pads electrically connected to the light-receiving devices in the respective rows or columns via signal lines are arranged on the outer periphery of the substrate, and a protective passivation film is disposed on the light-receiving devices and signal lines, thereby forming a light-receiving device array. On the light-receiving surface of the light-receiving device array, a scintillator made of columnar crystals of CsI is deposited. On the other hand, a resin frame formed like an elongated frame is disposed inside the bonding pads. Inside this frame, a protective film in which an inorganic film is held between organic films made of Parylene is laminated. The outer periphery of the protective film is in close contact with the resin frame with the aid of the coating resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2008
    Assignee: Hamamatsu Photonics K.K.
    Inventors: Takuya Homme, Toshio Takabayashi, Hiroto Sato