Abstract: Among other things, one or more techniques and/or systems for selectively inhibiting radiation from being generated by a radiation source are provided. A radiation source comprises an electrically conductive gate situated between a cathode and an anode. When a voltage potential is created between the gate and the cathode, a flow of electrons between the cathode and the anode is mitigated, thus inhibiting radiation from being generated by the radiation source. When the voltage potential is removed or lessened, electrons may more freely flow between the cathode and the anode to generate radiation. In some embodiments, a calibration, such as a dark calibration, may be performed while the gate mitigates the flow of electrons. Moreover, in some embodiments, an accelerating voltage applied to the radiation source may be held substantially constant when radiation is generated as well as when radiation generation is inhibited.

Abstract: Among other things, one or more tiles for an indirect-conversation radiation detector array are provided herein. Respective tiles comprise a detector sub-assembly and an electronic sub-assembly, which are operably coupled together, yet selectively removable, via a connection interface. When an electronic sub-assembly portion of a tile, which comprises a signal acquisition system (e.g., an integrated circuit, such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), functions improperly, the electronic sub-assembly portion of the tile may be selectively removed for repair/replacement without removing and/or replacing the detector sub-assembly (e.g., which may be much more costly to replace). Similarly, when the detector sub-assembly portion of a tile functions improperly, the detector sub-assembly portion of the tile may be selectively removed for repair/replacement without removing and/or replacing the electronic sub-assembly portion of the tile (e.g.

Abstract: Tomosynthesis data may be acquired from an ionizing radiation source that substantially continuously emits radiation while its position is varied relative to a photon counting detector. The detector detects photons comprised within the radiation and photon data indicative of the detected photons is generated. The photon data may comprise data related to a detected photon's detection time, detection location on the detector, energy level, and/or trajectory from the radiation source, for example. The photon data of various photons may be compiled into a plurality of bins and, through reconstruction and tomosynthesis techniques, produce synthesized images of various tomography planes of an object under examination. In this way, the tomosynthesis techniques rely on counting photons rather than measuring their energy to create synthesized images.

Abstract: A projection image of an object is colored using three-dimensional image data. This may be particularly useful in radiographic imaging applications, for example. In one embodiment, a colored synthetic image is rendered from a colored three-dimensional image of an object, and color components of pixels of the synthetic image are used to determine color components, or color values, for corresponding pixels of a projection image depicting a similar view of the object as the synthetic image. In this way, the two-dimensional projection image is colored similarly to the colored three-dimensional image. For example, the projection image may be colored based upon density (if the three-dimensional image is colored based upon density) so aspects of the object that attenuate a similar amount of radiation but have different densities may be colored differently.

Abstract: A sample processing apparatus includes a sample carrier receiving region configured to receive sample carrier carrying one or more samples for processing by the sample processing apparatus, and a thermal control system that controls a thermal cycling of the one or more samples for processing by the sample processing apparatus by selectively varying a pressure over a fluid in substantial thermal communication with the sample carrier, thereby varying a boiling point temperature of the fluid.

Abstract: Among other things, one or more techniques and/or systems for correcting projection data representative of an object under examination to account for drift in a radiation system are provided. System drift is measured by performing a drift calibration on the radiation system. During the drift calibration, a temperature of the radiation system is measured and one or more calibration tables, such as an air table and/or offset table, are corrected based upon the measured temperature to derive a theoretical projection (e.g., indicative of measurements that are expected to be acquired from the radiation system during the drift calibration). The theoretical projection is compared to an actual projection acquired during the drift calibration to measure a degree of drift. Based upon the measured degree of drift, one or more correction factors are determined to correct and/or otherwise adjust for system drift in a projection respective of the object.

Abstract: A sample processing apparatus (102) includes a reference carrier region (106) that supports a reference carrier (108), which includes one or more reference substances that emit radiation with unique and known spectral characteristics in response to being irradiated with radiation having a wavelength in a predetermined range of interest. The sample processing apparatus further includes a carrier receiving region (110) configured to alternatively receive a sample carrier (104) or the reference carrier for processing by the apparatus. The sample processing apparatus further includes an optical component (114, 116, 118) that emits radiation, having a wavelength in a predetermined range of interest, that irradiates the carrier in the carrier receiving region, and that detects the radiation emitted from the carrier. The apparatus moves the reference carrier from the reference carrier region to the carrier receiving region for processing by the apparatus.

Abstract: Representations of an object can comprise two or more separate sub-objects, producing a compound object. Compound objects can affect the quality of object visualization and threat identification. As provided herein, a compound object can be separated into sub-objects based on object morphological properties (e.g., an object's shape, surface area). Further, a potential compound object can be split into sub-objects, for example, eroding one or more outer layers of volume space (e.g., voxels) from the potential compound object. Additionally, a volume of a representation of the sub-objects in an image can be reconstructed, for example, by generating sub-objects that have a combined volume approximate to that of the compound object. Furthermore, sub-objects, which can be parts of a same physical object, but may have been erroneously split, can be identified and merged using connectivity and compactness based techniques.

Abstract: Among other things, one or more techniques and/or systems are described for dynamically adjusting one or more X-ray acquisition parameters of an X-ray imaging modality. During a first portion of an examination of an object, the object is examined using a first set of X-ray acquisition parameters and a first image is generated. A region-of-interest is identified in the first image and one or more X-ray acquisition parameters are adjusted as a function of the identified region-of-interest to establish a second set of X-ray acquisition parameters. During a second portion of the examination of the object, the object is examined using the second set of X-ray acquisition parameters to generate a second image. In this way, X-ray acquisition parameters can be adjusted in real-time or ‘on the fly’ to obtain a (more) desired image.

Abstract: Representations of an object in an image generated by an imaging apparatus can comprise two or more separate sub-objects, producing a compound object. Compound objects can negatively affect the quality of object visualization and threat identification performance. As provided herein, a compound object can be separated into sub-objects. Topology score map data, representing topological differences in the potential compound object, may be computed and used in a statistical distribution to identify modes that may be indicative of the sub-objects. The identified modes may be assigned a label and a voxel of the image data indicative of the potential compound object may be relabeled based on the label assigned to a mode that represents data corresponding to properties of a portion of the object that the voxel represents to create image data indicative of one or more sub-objects.

Abstract: The present application provides techniques and/or systems for inspecting a pipe, or rather measuring one or more characteristics of a pipe, using radiation. A carriage, mounted to the pipe, may provide a mechanism for propelling a radiation source and a detector along the pipe. The detector is configured such that it can receive radiation that has traversed both a wall of the pipe and an obstacle, such as a pipe support. In this way, portions of a pipe that are traditionally difficult to inspect may be inspected easily with minimal human intervention.

Abstract: A data converter module is provided with an analog interface to receive analog signals, a digital interface to transmit digital signals, and a configuration interface to accept configuration signals. The data conversion module also includes a data conversion array (DCA) with selectively engageable data conversion circuits for the conversion of analog input signals to digital output signals, where the data conversion circuits are responsive to the configuration signals. The DCA's data conversion circuits include configurable data resolution circuits and configurable data conversion speed circuits. For example, the configurable data resolution circuits may be selected from averaging, oversampling, and multi-stage pipelining circuits. The DCA configurable data speed circuit may interleave the outputs from multiple parallelly connected ADCs operating at different clock phases. In one aspect, the number of clock phases is selectable. Also provided are methods for configurable data conversion.

Abstract: One or more techniques and/or systems described herein provide a shielded power coupling device, such as may be used to transfer electric power from a stator portion of a computed tomography (CT) apparatus to a rotor portion. The shielded power coupling device comprises a rotor portion and a stator portion, separated by an airgap, respectively comprising one or more windings and a core. The shielded power coupling device further comprises a fringe field mitigation element(s) (e.g., an electrically conductive wire) that is configured to carry an induced current that creates a magnetic field that mitigates, or substantially cancels, magnetic flux generated by current in the windings that escapes from the core near the core airgap.

Abstract: Among other things, one or more techniques and/or systems for combining a three-dimensional image of a target with a three-dimensional image of an object that is under examination via radiation to generate a three-dimensional synthetic image are provided. Although the target is not actually comprised within the object under examination, the three-dimensional synthetic image is intended to cause the target to appear to be comprised within the object. In one embodiment, one or more artifacts may be intentionally introduced into the three-dimensional synthetic image that are not comprised within the three-dimensional image of the target and/or within the three-dimensional image of the object to generate a synthetic image that more closely approximates in appearance a three-dimensional image that would have been generated from an examination had the target been comprised within the object.

Abstract: One or more techniques and/or systems are described for automatically generating a transformation matrix for correlating images from an ultrasound modality with images from another modality (or with ultrasound images acquired at a different point in time). Ultrasound volumetric data and volumetric data yielded from another image modality are examined to identify and/or extract features. The transformation matrix is automatically generated, or populated, based at least in part upon common features that are identified in both the ultrasound volumetric data and the volumetric data yielded from the other image modality. The transformation matrix can then be used to correlate images from the different modalities (e.g., to display a CT image of an object next to an ultrasound image of the object, where the images are substantially similar to one another even though they were acquired using different modalities).

Abstract: One or more techniques and/or systems described herein provide for examining an object (e.g., a tumor in a patient) and subsequently treating the object. The examination and treatment generally occur very close to one another in time, with the patient remaining on a support article (e.g., on a bed or in a chair) during both the examination and the treatment. In this way, a position of the tumor and/or orientation of the tumor relative to the patient is substantially fixed during both the examination and the treatment. In one embodiment, a support article is configured to rotate during the examination and/or treatment. In this way, the object can be examined (e.g., and volumetric data related to the object can be acquired) and/or treated without moving portions of the imaging and/or treatment apparatus, for example.

Abstract: A data converter module is provided with an analog interface to receive analog signals, a digital interface to transmit digital signals, and a configuration interface to accept configuration signals. The data conversion module also includes a data conversion array (DCA) with selectively engageable data conversion circuits for the conversion of analog input signals to digital output signals, where the data conversion circuits are responsive to the configuration signals. The DCA's data conversion circuits include configurable data resolution circuits and configurable data conversion speed circuits. For example, the configurable data resolution circuits may be selected from averaging, oversampling, and multi-stage pipelining circuits. The DCA configurable data speed circuit may interleave the outputs from multiple parallelly connected ADCs operating at different clock phases. In one aspect, the number of clock phases is selectable. Also provided are methods for configurable data conversion.

Abstract: A power delivery system includes a rotary transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding and configured to transfer power between stationary coupling elements on a stationary side and rotational coupling elements on a rotational side. The rotational coupling elements share a central axis with the stationary coupling elements, and are adapted to rotate with respect to the stationary coupling elements. The power delivery system includes an isolation transformer that drives the primary winding of the rotary transformer, and a plurality of power inverter stages whose outputs are adapted to be summed and coupled to the rotary transformer. A plurality of output power converters receive transmitted power from the rotary transformer. A plurality of control elements, disposed on the rotating side, are configured to close a feedback loop on desired and actual performance of the output power converters, and to control the power inverter stages.

Abstract: Techniques and systems for supplying fluid to a rotating gantry portion of a radiation treatment apparatus are disclosed where a first batch fluid is supplied to the rotating gantry when the rotating gantry is stationary a first time, discontinuing the supply when the rotating gantry is rotating, and supplying a second batch of fluid when the rotating gantry is stationary a second time. A storage component on the rotating gantry allows supplied fluid to be stored in the rotating gantry and used to shape a radiation beam and/or cool an ionizing radiation source, for example, while the rotating gantry is rotating. The techniques and systems may also be utilized to discharge a first fluid from the rotating gantry and supply a second fluid to replace the first fluid.

Abstract: One or more techniques and/or systems are described herein for handling an examination surface for radiology or other operations. That is, an examination surface support structure can be integrally coupled with a support component of a radiology apparatus so that an examination surface and an object optionally placed thereon are supported during an operation. An examination surface transport component can be docked with an examination surface docking component that is operably coupled with the examination surface support structure so that the examination surface can be exchanged between the transport component and the radiology apparatus. An examination surface transit component that is operably coupled with the examination surface support structure can engage the examination surface in order to move the examination surface into and out of an operation region of the apparatus, such as during a scanning or dosage operation.