Patents Examined by Hoon Song
  • Patent number: 9848483
    Abstract: An x-ray tube assembly includes an x-ray tube with a vacuum envelope in which an emitter and an anode are arranged. The emitter is configured to be heated by an external coil emitter heating current supply. The emitter is configured as a flat emitter and an adaptation circuit is arranged between the flat emitter and the coil emitter heating current supply. A coil-emitter-based x-ray tube assembly may be replaced by a flat emitter-based x-ray tube assembly without constructional changes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Stefan Setzer, Stephan Sons
  • Patent number: 9839406
    Abstract: A mobile radiography apparatus has a moveable (e.g., wheeled) transport frame and an adjustable support mounted at the frame that can include an x-ray source. Embodiments of methods and/or apparatus by which mobile radiography carts can provide a charging capability for at least one radiographic detector (e.g., removed power source, detector either separately mounted at the mobile radiography apparatus or in a detector carrier (e.g., grid holder)) mounted at the mobile radiography apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: Carestream Health, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael P. Urbon, Dennis J. O'Dea
  • Patent number: 9833210
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a medical image diagnostic apparatus includes an X-ray tube, X-ray detector, image generation circuitry, display, and correction circuitry. The X-ray tube generates X-rays to an object. The X-ray detector detects the X-rays. The image generation circuitry generate an X-ray image based on the detected X-rays. The display displays an incident dose of the X-rays on the object, on an object image indicating the object. The correction circuitry correct a relative positional relationship between the object image and a display area of the incident dose on the object image based on the X-ray image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignees: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation, The Research Foundation for the State University of New York
    Inventors: Takuya Sakaguchi, Yuichiro Watanabe, Hisato Takemoto, Daniel Bednarek, Vijay Rana
  • Patent number: 9826952
    Abstract: To provide an X-ray CT apparatus and a scanning method that can scan a corpse efficiently, a death mode is selected and input to the CPU of an image processing device by performing a mouse-click or touch operation on any of buttons on a death mode selection window. The CPU obtains scanning conditions from the storage unit according to the input death mode. In a charred body mode, scanning conditions are defined in advance to perform high-resolution scanning for the pelvis portion and standard scanning for the other entire body for sex estimation. The sex estimation process estimates the corpse's sex based on the pelvis portion shape and outputs the results. In a drowned body mode, scanning conditions are defined in advance to perform high-resolution scanning for the lung field and standard scanning for the other entire body to measure a water amount in the lung.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventor: Tetsuo Nakazawa
  • Patent number: 9818383
    Abstract: In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a method including rotating a rotatable surface with an object positioned thereon to a plurality of angular positions. The method also includes capturing, via an x-ray microtomography device at each of the plurality of angular positions, a tomograph of the object. The method also includes summing each tomograph of the object to create a three-dimensional image of the object. The method also includes using an additive manufacturing machine to create a three-dimensional replica of the object using the three-dimensional image of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: University of Connecticut
    Inventors: Sina Shahbazmohamadi, Robert S. Howe, Richard Bass
  • Patent number: 9818571
    Abstract: An X-ray generation tube includes: an anode including a target configured to generate X-rays under irradiation of electrons, and an anode member electrically connected to the target; a cathode including an electron emitting source configured to emit an electron beam in a direction towards the target, and a cathode member electrically connected to the electron emitting source; and an insulating tube extending between the anode member and the cathode member. The anode further includes an inner circumferential anode layer electrically connected to the anode member, the inner circumferential anode layer extending along an inner circumferential face of the insulating tube, and is remote from the cathode member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Shiozawa, Kazuya Tsujino, Koichi Tsunoda, Nobuhiro Ito, Kazuhiro Sando, Yoichi Ikarashi
  • Patent number: 9810648
    Abstract: An X-ray fluorescence analyzer includes: a sample stage; an X-ray source; a detector; an X stage; a Y stage; a ? stage; and a shielding container, wherein the irradiation position with primary X-rays is set at an offset position from a movement center of the X stage and the Y stage, wherein an irradiation area that is irradiatable with the primary X-rays is set to a selected segmented area from among segmented areas that are defined by segmenting the surface of the sample into four parts with a virtual segment lines in the X direction and the Y direction passing through the movement center, and wherein the ? stage is configured to switch the selected segmented area into any one of the segmented areas by rotating the sample stage by every 90 degrees.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Takahara
  • Patent number: 9795350
    Abstract: A method and system to determine material composition of an object comprises capturing a series of digital radiographic images of the object using a single exposure energy level. An intensity of the captured images is determined as well as phase shift differences. A difference in material composition of the object may be determined based on a combination of the determined intensity and the modulated phase shifts of the captured images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: Carestream Health, Inc.
    Inventors: Pavlo Baturin, Mark E. Shafer
  • Patent number: 9795353
    Abstract: According to embodiment, an X-ray computed tomography apparatus includes an X-ray tube, an X-ray detector including a scintillator generating scintillation light upon incidence of X-ray photons and a photodetection element, a peak value detector detecting peak values corresponding to X-ray photons based on an output signal from the element, processing circuitry determining an attenuation characteristic of the light by each X-ray photon and an output decreased characteristic of the element, based on the values and time when each peak value was detected, correcting the detected values according to the characteristics, a counter counting the X-ray photons corresponding to the respective corrected peak values, wherein the processing circuitry reconstructs a medical image based on an output from the counter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation
    Inventor: Manabu Teshigawara
  • Patent number: 9791387
    Abstract: An inspection system includes an irradiation source, an image detector, and a placement device. The placement device comprises a carrier and a rotation mechanism. With respect to connections, the placement device is configured to be disposed between the irradiation source and the image detector, and the rotation mechanism is configured to be connected to the carrier. With respect to operations, the irradiation source and the image detector are driven to be moved along a predetermined path, the carrier is configured to carry at least one object, and the rotation mechanism is configured to rotate the carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: Test Research, Inc.
    Inventors: Yu-Che Cheng, Chia-Ho Yen, Shih-Liang Chen, Chih-Pin Chiu
  • Patent number: 9788805
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a dental radiography device capable of: reducing the amount of radiation exposure and the amount of battery consumption by reducing radiation exposure time by using a high switching frequency of 100 kHz or greater; preventing occurrence of operation errors caused by a momentary high voltage, etc. while using the high switching frequency; and easily setting X-ray irradiation time according to the type of teeth. Thus, the dental radiography device is safe, accurate and easy to use, and can have a small size and light weight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: RHT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Joon Ho Oh
  • Patent number: 9784698
    Abstract: In an X-ray detector operating in a rolling shutter read out mode, by precisely synchronizing sample rotation with the detector readout, the effects of timing skew on the image intensities and angular positions caused by the rolling shutter read out can be compensated by interpolation or calculation, thus allowing the data to be accurately integrated with conventional software. In one embodiment, the reflection intensities are interpolated with respect to time to recreate data that is synchronized to a predetermined time. This interpolated data can then be processed by any conventional integration routine to generate a 3D model of the sample. In another embodiment a 3D integration routine is specially adapted to allow the time-skewed data to be processed directly and generate a 3D model of the sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Inventors: Roger D. Durst, Joerg Kaercher, Gregory A. Wachter
  • Patent number: 9778380
    Abstract: An electronic cassette is provided with a sensor panel, a housing, operation buttons, a head-bottom setting section, lamps and a memory. The sensor panel has a quadrangle imaging area, and detects an X-ray image of a patient. The housing houses the sensor panel. The operation buttons are disposed on the housing. When either one of the operation buttons is pushed down, the head-bottom setting section sets either one of adjoining two sides of the imaging area to be the head of the radiographic image in the display orientation. The display section is disposed on the housing, and displays which side is set by the head-bottom setting section to be the head of the radiographic image. The memory stores head-bottom setting information and the radiographic image in association with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Jun Enomoto, Haruyasu Nakatsugawa
  • Patent number: 9775579
    Abstract: A CT scanner has multiple X-ray sources on a first rotatable gantry disposed to illuminate an X-ray detector array. An image processor receives data from the detector array, machine readable instructions in the memory include instructions for energizing K>=2 X-ray sources simultaneously while rotating the gantry through multiple positions and recording measurements at each gantry position. Some measurements correspond to sums of line integrals of radiation from two or more of the X-ray sources as attenuated by passage through an imaging zone to detector array cells, including a first measurement Nmp1 at a first gantry position and a second measurement Nmp2 at a second gantry position represent a sum of line integrals comprising a line integral of attenuation of radiation along a same line L. Instructions determine individual line integrals along the line L from the measurements Nmp1 and Nmp2 that include sums of line integrals along the line L.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Inventor: Guy M. Besson
  • Patent number: 9772427
    Abstract: The disclosure provides a multi-power multi-dosage accelerator. The multi-power multi-dosage accelerator comprises an electron gun configured to provide a first voltage of the electron gun and a second voltage of the electron gun, and an accelerating tube configured to generate a first X-ray having a first dosage and first power according to the first voltage of the electron gun and generate a second X-ray having a second dosage and second power according to the second voltage of the electron gun, wherein the first dosage is a dosage which can be accepted by human bodies and is much less than the second dosage, the first X-ray is used for inspecting a first area where a person is located, and the second X-ray is used for inspecting a second area where goods are located.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignees: Tsinghua University, Nuctech Company Limited
    Inventors: Kejun Kang, Jianmin Li, Ying Li, Yuanjing Li, Wei Yin, Juan Zheng, Lei Zeng
  • Patent number: 9775225
    Abstract: A gantry includes two X-ray source rings and a detector ring. Each X-ray source ring includes a plurality of X-ray sources arrayed circumferentially. The detector ring is provided next to the X-ray source ring and includes a plurality of X-ray detectors arrayed circumferentially. Each of the plurality of X-ray detectors detects X-rays from the X-ray source ring. A data collection circuit collects raw data corresponding to the intensity of the detected X-rays. A reconstruction unit reconstructs the collected raw data into a CT image based on digital data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Emi Tamura, Yasuo Saito, Takuzo Takayama, Hiroaki Miyazaki, Hiroaki Nakai
  • Patent number: 9770603
    Abstract: The present invention relates a detector (11) for detecting megavoltage X-ray radiation (3), comprising a scintillator (2) including a plurality of heavy scintillating fibers (13) for emitting scintillation photons in response to incident megavoltage X-ray radiation (3), a support structure (15) for supporting said plurality of heavy scintillating fibers (13) and holding them in place; and a photodetector (17) for detecting the spatial intensity distribution of the emitted scintillation photons. The present invention further relates to an apparatus (35) for radiation therapy comprising a particle accelerator (37) and a detector (11) for detecting megavoltage radiation. Still further, the present invention relates to methods for detecting X-ray radiation and for radiation therapy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
    Inventors: Pedro Jorge Da Silva Rodrigues, Andreia Maria Araujo Trinadade Rodrigues
  • Patent number: 9770214
    Abstract: An apparatus for cone beam computed tomography of an extremity has a digital radiation detector and a first device to move the detector along a circular detector path extending so that the detector moves both at least partially around a first extremity of the patient and between the first extremity and a second, adjacent extremity. The detector path has radius R1 sufficient to position the extremity approximately centered in the detector path. There is a radiation source with a second device to move the source along a concentric circular source path having a radius R2 greater than radius R1, radius R2 sufficiently long to allow adequate radiation exposure of the first extremity for an image capture by the detector. A first circumferential gap in the source path allows the second extremity to be positioned in the first circumferential gap during image capture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Inventors: John Yorkston, Robert J. Asento, Jeffrey H. Siewerdsen, David H. Foos
  • Patent number: 9770219
    Abstract: A computed-tomography (CT) apparatus including a CT scanner including a rotating X-ray source, and a plurality of photon-counting detectors (PCDs) arranged in a fixed detector ring to capture incident X-ray photons emitted from the X-ray source. The plurality of PCDs includes a first plurality of first PCDs, each first PCD having a first collimator on a surface of the first PCD to block X-ray photons emitted from the X-ray source, the first collimator having openings of a first size, and a second plurality of second PCDs, each second PCD having a second collimator on a surface of the second PCD to block the X-ray photons emitted from the X-ray source, the second collimator having openings of a second size, the first size being different from the second size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel Gagnon, Miesher L. Rodrigues, Yuexing Zhang
  • Patent number: 9763634
    Abstract: A phase-contrast x-ray imaging device is particularly suited for the medical field. The device includes an x-ray source for generating an x-radiation field and an x-ray detector having a one-dimensional or two-dimensional arrangement of pixels. A phase-contrast differential amplifier is positioned between the x-ray source and the x-ray detector. The phase-contrast differential amplifier amplifies spatial phase differences in the x-radiation field during operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Oliver Preusche