Patents Examined by John Corbett
  • Patent number: 9754758
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an X-ray source having cooling and shielding functions. The X-ray source includes an X-ray generation unit (100) which has one or more insulation columns (160) and emits X-rays in a vacuum; a cooling unit (180) which is provided around a periphery of the X-ray generation unit and removes heat generated from the X-ray generation unit; and a shielding unit (190) which is provided around a periphery of the cooling unit and shields an area exposed to X-rays other than the areas related to the emission of the X-rays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: University-Industry Cooperation Group of Kyung Hee University
    Inventors: Hun Kuk Park, Je Hwang Ryu, Kyu Chang Park
  • Patent number: 9750477
    Abstract: A measurement area selection circuit has an irradiation field determination unit, an object area determination unit, and a measurement area determination unit. The irradiation field determination unit determines an irradiation field of an imaging surface of an FPD. The object area determination unit determines an object area from a comparison result between a first expected received dose of a directly exposed area and dose detection signals of detection pixels situated in the irradiation field. The measurement area determination unit determines a measurement area, which corresponds to a region of interest, from a comparison result between a second expected received dose of the measurement area and the dose detection signals of the detection pixels situated in the irradiation area and the object area. The dose detection signals of the detection pixels situated in the measurement area are used for AEC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Yusuke Kitagawa, Takashi Tajima, Keita Watanabe, Takeshi Kamiya
  • Patent number: 9726619
    Abstract: The present application discloses a computed tomography system having non-rotating X-ray sources that are programmed to optimize the source firing pattern. In one embodiment, the CT system is a fast cone-beam CT scanner which uses a fixed ring of multiple sources and fixed rings of detectors in an offset geometry. It should be appreciated that the source firing pattern is effectuated by a controller, which implements methods to determine a source firing pattern that are adapted to geometries where the X-ray sources and detector geometry are offset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: William Thompson, William Robert Breckon Lionheart, Edward James Morton
  • Patent number: 9717137
    Abstract: An x-ray housing can include a tubular unitary body having an external fin array adjacent to an internal fin array through a heat exchanger portion of the unitary body, the internal fin array being on a luminal surface of a housing lumen of the unitary body. The external fin array can extend from a first end of the housing to a second end of the housing. The external fin array may be at a discrete and defined location, and extend around only a portion (e.g., 25%) of a circumference or external surface of the housing. The internal fin array can extends from the first end of the housing to an arced manifold recess at the second end of the housing, and be located in a finned recess that is adjacent to and dimensioned correspondingly with the external fin array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: VAREX IMAGING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Wayne R. Hansen, Travis Astle, Patrick Kevin Lewis
  • Patent number: 9696266
    Abstract: A nondestructive inspection device 1 comprises an X-ray indicator 20, a low-energy detector 32, a high-energy detector 42, a low-energy transmittance calculation unit 72, a high-energy transmittance calculation unit 74, a detection unit 76, and a correction unit 78. The calculation unit 72 calculates a value indicating the transmittance of transmission X-rays in a low energy range. The calculation unit 74 calculates a value indicating the transmittance of transmission X-rays in a high energy range. The detection unit 76 detects a positional deviation detail of the X-ray indicator 20 according to a ratio between the transmittances calculated by both of the calculation units 72, 74. When the positional deviation detail of the X-ray indicator 20 is detected by the detection unit 76, according to the positional deviation detail, the correction unit 78 corrects X-ray luminance data detected by the detectors 32, 42.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: HAMAMATSU PHOTONICS K.K.
    Inventor: Toshiyasu Suyama
  • Patent number: 9671520
    Abstract: A dielectric loaded accelerator for accelerating charged particles, such as electrons, ions and/or protons, is described herein. The dielectric loaded accelerator accelerates charged particles along a longitudinal axis and towards an outlet of the accelerator. The dielectric loaded accelerator accelerates the charged particles using oscillating electromagnetic fields that propagate within the accelerator according to an electromagnetic mode. The dielectric loaded accelerator described herein includes an electromagnetic mode with a phase velocity that increases towards the outlet of the accelerator and matches a velocity of the charged particles being accelerated along the longitudinal axis of the accelerator. By matching the phase velocity of the oscillating electromagnetic fields to the velocity of the charged particles, the accelerator reduces phase slippage between the fields and the charged particles and, therefore, efficiently accelerates charged particle towards the outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignees: Euclid Techlabs, LLC, Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Tancredi Botto, Benjamin Levitt, Chunguang Jing, Sergey Antipov, Alexei Kanareykin
  • Patent number: 9661729
    Abstract: A radiation imaging system for applying radiation photography to a patient based on contents of an examination request includes: an image capturing method storage unit configured to prestore at least one image capturing method; a patient information input unit configured to input patient information of the patient subjected to an examination based on the examination request; an extraction unit configured to extract an applicable image capturing method from the image capturing method storage unit based on information accompanying the patient information and examination information; a list display unit configured to display an image capturing method extracted by the extraction unit in list form; and a registration unit configured to, by specifying an image capturing method displayed in the list display unit, register the specified image capturing method as imaging information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Keisuke Arima
  • Patent number: 9613729
    Abstract: An enhanced mechanical design of multiple zone plates precision alignment apparatus for hard x-ray focusing in a twenty-nanometer scale is provided. The precision alignment apparatus includes a zone plate alignment base frame; a plurality of zone plates; and a plurality of zone plate holders, each said zone plate holder for mounting and aligning a respective zone plate for hard x-ray focusing. At least one respective positioning stage drives and positions each respective zone plate holder. Each respective positioning stage is mounted on the zone plate alignment base frame. A respective linkage component connects each respective positioning stage and the respective zone plate holder. The zone plate alignment base frame, each zone plate holder and each linkage component is formed of a selected material for providing thermal expansion stability and positioning stability for the precision alignment apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: UChicago Argonne LLC
    Inventors: Deming Shu, Jie Liu, Sophie C. Gleber, Joan Vila-Comamala, Barry Lai, Jorg M. Maser, Christian Roehrig, Michael J. Wojcik, Franz Stefan Vogt
  • Patent number: 9594036
    Abstract: This disclosure presents systems for total reflection x-ray fluorescence measurements that have x-ray flux and x-ray flux density several orders of magnitude greater than existing x-ray technologies. These may therefore useful for applications such as trace element detection and/or for total-reflection fluorescence analysis. The higher brightness is achieved in part by using designs for x-ray targets that comprise a number of microstructures of one or more selected x-ray generating materials fabricated in close thermal contact with a substrate having high thermal conductivity. This allows for bombardment of the targets with higher electron density or higher energy electrons, which leads to greater x-ray brightness and therefore greater x-ray flux. The high brightness/high flux source may then be coupled to an x-ray reflecting optical system, which can focus the high flux x-rays to a spots that can be as small as one micron, leading to high flux density.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: Sigray, Inc.
    Inventors: Wenbing Yun, Sylvia Jia Yun Lewis, Janos Kirz
  • Patent number: 9570265
    Abstract: We present a micro-x-ray fluorescence (XRF) system having a high-brightness x-ray illumination system with high x-ray flux and high flux density. The higher brightness is achieved in part by using x-ray target designs that comprise a number of microstructures of x-ray generating materials fabricated in close thermal contact with a substrate having high thermal conductivity. This allows for bombardment of the targets with higher electron density or higher energy electrons, which leads to greater x-ray flux. The high brightness/high flux x-ray source may then be coupled to an x-ray optical system, which can collect and focus the high flux x-rays to spots that can be as small as one micron, leading to high flux density at the fluorescent sample. Such systems may be useful for a variety of applications, including mineralogy, trace element detection, structure and composition analysis, metrology, as well as forensic science and diagnostic systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Sigray, Inc.
    Inventors: Wenbing Yun, Sylvia Jia Yun Lewis, Janos Kirz
  • Patent number: 9545234
    Abstract: A method to optimally set a position of a form filter in an x-ray image recording apparatus is proposed. The x-ray image recording apparatus has an x-ray radiation source and an x-ray radiation detector. An x-ray image is firstly recorded in a first position of the form filter. A new position of the filter is then calculated and automatically set with the aid of the x-ray image. A new x-ray image is then recorded. With a minimal dose of a patient, the method enables low contrast images to be recorded for a minimal main dose of the patient, in particular in a sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: SIEMENS HEALTHCARE GMBH
    Inventors: Philipp Bernhardt, Stefan Böhm, Richard Obler
  • Patent number: 9545231
    Abstract: A method and imaging system for operating imaging computed tomography using at least one radiation source and at least one detector to generate an image of an object. The method includes: defining desired image characteristics; and performing calculations to determine the pattern of fluence to be applied by the at least one radiation source, to generate said desired image quality or characteristics. Then, the at least one radiation source is modulated, to generate the intended pattern of fluence between the beam source and the object to be imaged. The desired image characteristics can provide at least one of: desired image quality in at least one defined region of interest; and at least one desired distribution of said image quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: UNIVERSITY HEALTH NETWORK
    Inventors: David A. Jaffray, Sean Alexander Graham, Jeffrey Harold Siewerdsen, Steven Joe Bartolac
  • Patent number: 9543109
    Abstract: A compact source for high brightness x-ray generation is disclosed. The higher brightness is achieved through electron beam bombardment of multiple regions aligned with each other to achieve a linear accumulation of x-rays. This may be achieved by aligning discrete x-ray sub-sources, or through the use of x-ray targets that comprise microstructures of x-ray generating materials fabricated in close thermal contact with a substrate with high thermal conductivity. This allows heat to be more efficiently drawn out of the x-ray generating material, and in turn allows bombardment of the x-ray generating material with higher electron density and/or higher energy electrons, leading to greater x-ray brightness. The orientation of the microstructures allows the use of an on-axis collection angle, allowing the accumulation of x-rays from several microstructures to be aligned to appear to have a single origin, also known as “zero-angle” x-ray radiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: Sigray, Inc.
    Inventors: Wenbing Yun, Sylvia Jia Yun Lewis, Janos Kirz, Alan Francis Lyon
  • Patent number: 9528950
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for evaluating the rebound resilience, hardness, or energy loss of polymer materials, capable of sufficiently evaluating the difference in performance between samples with excellent measurement accuracy. The present invention relates to a method for evaluating the rebound resilience, hardness, or energy loss of a polymer material, including irradiating the polymer material with X-rays or neutrons to perform X-ray scattering measurement or neutron scattering measurement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Ryo Mashita, Hiroyuki Kishimoto
  • Patent number: 9524846
    Abstract: In a target structure according to the present invention, a target is provided on a central area of an insulating substrate, and a first conductive member for supplying a voltage to the target is provided on a peripheral area of the insulating substrate which is exclusive of an area overlapping the target and is not covered by the target, so that the first conductive member is in contact with and electrically connected to the peripheral portion of the target. Consequently, it is possible to easily form a voltage supply line to the target without preventing diffusion of a heat generated in the target to the substrate and while suppressing emission of an unnecessary X-ray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasue Sato, Takao Ogura, Kazuyuki Ueda, Ichiro Nomura
  • Patent number: 9498170
    Abstract: A positioner arm for positioning an imaging material, an imaging material holder, an aiming device or a combination thereof is disclosed that includes at least one positioning arm having a first end and a second end, wherein each arm comprises at least two fixed arm angles and wherein at least one angle is not a 90 degree angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Inventor: Louis Eliot Schwarzbach
  • Patent number: 9480438
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an X-ray imaging apparatus includes an X-ray image acquisition part, a control system and a display processing part. The X-ray image acquisition part is configured to acquire X-ray image data of an object using at least one imaging system. The control system is configured to control the imaging system to acquire frames of X-ray image data corresponding to mutually different directions by moving the imaging system. At least one of the frames of the X-ray image data are acquired during a movement of the imaging system. The display processing part is configured to generate stereoscopically visible image data based on the frames of the X-ray image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Takuya Sakaguchi, Hisato Takemoto
  • Patent number: 9462990
    Abstract: Upon input of a synchronization signal, which indicates a start of an X-ray emission, from a source control unit for controlling an X-ray source, an electronic cassette makes an FPD start an accumulation operation and measurement of an X-ray dose. The electronic cassette and a console command their communicators to stop communication of any signal other than a stop signal, which stops the X-ray emission from the X-ray source, during the accumulation operation of the FPD. As soon as the X-ray dose has reached a predetermined threshold value, the electronic cassette transmits the stop signal to the source control unit through the console. A delay in transmission of the stop signal due to communication congestion or signal collision does not occur, because the electronic cassette and the console stop the communication of the signal other than the stop signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Kuwabara, Takeshi Kamiya, Yusuke Kitagawa, Takashi Tajima
  • Patent number: 9449781
    Abstract: This disclosure presents systems for x-ray illumination that have an x-ray brightness several orders of magnitude greater than existing x-ray technologies. These may therefore useful for applications such as trace element detection or for micro-focus fluorescence analysis. The higher brightness is achieved in part by using designs for x-ray targets that comprise a number of microstructures of one or more selected x-ray generating materials fabricated in close thermal contact with a substrate having high thermal conductivity. This allows for bombardment of the targets with higher electron density or higher energy electrons, which leads to greater x-ray flux. The high brightness/high flux x-ray source may then be coupled to an x-ray optical system, which can collect and focus the high flux x-rays to spots that can be as small as one micron, leading to high flux density.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: Sigray, Inc.
    Inventors: Wenbing Yun, Sylvia Jia Yun Lewis, Janos Kirz
  • Patent number: 9448190
    Abstract: This disclosure presents systems for x-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) measurements that have x-ray flux and flux density several orders of magnitude greater than existing compact systems. These are useful for laboratory or field applications of x-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) or extended x-ray fine absorption structure (EXFAS) spectroscopy. The higher brightness is achieved by using designs for x-ray targets that comprise a number of aligned microstructures of x-ray generating materials fabricated in close thermal contact with a substrate having high thermal conductivity. This allows for bombardment with higher electron density and/or higher energy electrons, leading to greater x-ray brightness and high flux. The high brightness x-ray source is then coupled to an x-ray reflecting optical system to collimate the x-rays, and a monochromator, which selects the exposure energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: Sigray, Inc.
    Inventors: Wenbing Yun, Sylvia Jia Yun Lewis, Janos Kirz