Abstract: Among other things, one or more systems and/or techniques are described for shaping a profile of radiation attenuation in a fan-angle direction via a pre-object filter (e.g., a bowtie filter) based upon a profile of an object. For example, a pre-object filter may be at least partially rotated about a filter axis and/or may be translated in a direction parallel to a direction of conveyance of the object under examination to adjust a profile of radiation attenuation in the fan-angle direction. Further, in one embodiment, the profile of radiation attenuation may be reshaped during rotation of the radiation source about the object to adjust an amount of radiation attenuation in the fan-angle direction (e.g., to adjust a profile of radiation attenuation as a shape of the object changes from a perspective of a radiation source as the radiation source is rotated about the object).

Abstract: Among other things, one or more techniques and/or systems for calibration of a radiation system to compute a gain correction(s) are provided. A calibration procedure is performed during which a portion of the detector array is shadowed by an object, causing the detector array to be non-uniformly exposed to radiation. A portion of a projection generated from the calibration procedure and indicative of radiation that did not traverse the object is separated from a portion of the projection indicative of radiation that did traverse the object, and a gain correction(s) is computed from the portion of the projection indicative of radiation that did not traverse the object (e.g., and is thus indicative of radiation that merely traversed air).

Abstract: Among other things, one or more systems and/or techniques are described for shaping a profile of radiation attenuation in a fan-angle direction via a pre-object filter (e.g., a bowtie filter) based upon a profile of an object. For example, a pre-object filter may be at least partially rotated about a filter axis and/or may be translated in a direction parallel to a direction of conveyance of the object under examination to adjust a profile of radiation attenuation in the fan-angle direction. Further, in one embodiment, the profile of radiation attenuation may be reshaped during rotation of the radiation source about the object to adjust an amount of radiation attenuation in the fan-angle direction (e.g., to adjust a profile of radiation attenuation as a shape of the object changes from a perspective of a radiation source as the radiation source is rotated about the object).

Abstract: Among other things, one or more techniques and/or systems for calibration of a radiation system to compute a gain correction(s) are provided. A calibration procedure is performed during which a portion of the detector array is shadowed by an object, causing the detector array to be non-uniformly exposed to radiation. A portion of a projection generated from the calibration procedure and indicative of radiation that did not traverse the object is separated from a portion of the projection indicative of radiation that did traverse the object, and a gain correction(s) is computed from the portion of the projection indicative of radiation that did not traverse the object (e.g., and is thus indicative of radiation that merely traversed air).

Abstract: Among other things, one or more systems and/or techniques are described for shaping a profile of radiation attenuation in a fan-angle direction via a pre-object filter (e.g., a bowtie filter) based upon a profile of an object. For example, a pre-object filter may be at least partially rotated about a filter axis and/or may be translated in a direction parallel to a direction of conveyance of the object under examination to adjust a profile of radiation attenuation in the fan-angle direction. Further, in one embodiment, the profile of radiation attenuation may be reshaped during rotation of the radiation source about the object to adjust an amount of radiation attenuation in the fan-angle direction (e.g., to adjust a profile of radiation attenuation as a shape of the object changes from a perspective of a radiation source as the radiation source is rotated about the object).

Abstract: Among other things, one or more techniques and/or systems for calibration of a radiation system to compute a gain correction(s) are provided. A calibration procedure is performed during which a portion of the detector array is shadowed by an object, causing the detector array to be non-uniformly exposed to radiation. A portion of a projection generated from the calibration procedure and indicative of radiation that did not traverse the object is separated from a portion of the projection indicative of radiation that did traverse the object, and a gain correction(s) is computed from the portion of the projection indicative of radiation that did not traverse the object (e.g., and is thus indicative of radiation that merely traversed air).

Abstract: Among other things, one or more techniques and/or systems for calibration of a radiation system to compute a gain correction(s) are provided. A calibration procedure is performed during which a portion of the detector array is shadowed by an object, causing the detector array to be non-uniformly exposed to radiation. A portion of a projection generated from the calibration procedure and indicative of radiation that did not traverse the object is separated from a portion of the projection indicative of radiation that did traverse the object, and a gain correction(s) is computed from the portion of the projection indicative of radiation that did not traverse the object (e.g., and is thus indicative of radiation that merely traversed air).

Abstract: Among other things, one or more systems and/or techniques are described for shaping a profile of radiation attenuation in a fan-angle direction via a pre-object filter (e.g., a bowtie filter) based upon a profile of an object. For example, a pre-object filter may be at least partially rotated about a filter axis and/or may be translated in a direction parallel to a direction of conveyance of the object under examination to adjust a profile of radiation attenuation in the fan-angle direction. Further, in one embodiment, the profile of radiation attenuation may be reshaped during rotation of the radiation source about the object to adjust an amount of radiation attenuation in the fan-angle direction (e.g., to adjust a profile of radiation attenuation as a shape of the object changes from a perspective of a radiation source as the radiation source is rotated about the object).

Abstract: A method and system are provided for generating high resolution CT images. The NSR# method improves on the AMPR method, by increasing the in-plane image resolution of CT scanners, in the helical scanning mode. The provided method uses the quarter detector offset and interleaving of complementary data to achieve in plane image resolution that is similar to the high resolution axial scanning mode utilizing quarter detector offset and interleaving. The method includes several ways of choosing the data to be interleaved, like NSR# with two planes, NSR# with 3 planes, NSR# with multiple planes. The interleaved data are used to create high resolution tilted slices. The NSR# method optimizes the untilting filter to create a mix of high and low resolution tilted slices to achieve the desired in-plane image resolution-image artifact balance required for the imaging task. In one embodiment in the untilting process one may use only high resolution tilted slices, for maximum resolution benefit.

Abstract: A source of X-rays including at least two cathodes and at least one common anode configured and arranged so as to generate at least two spaced apart beams of X-rays emanating from respectively different locations of the anode, and separately controlled so as to be generated independently of one another. The staggered focal spots can be generated simultaneously or alternately as required. An X-ray imaging system comprising such an X-rays source, and a method utilizing such a source are also disclosed.

Abstract: The techniques described herein provide for correcting projection data that comprises contamination due to source switching in a multi energy scanner. The correction is a multi-neighbor correction. That is, it uses data from at least two other views of an object (e.g., generally a previous view and a subsequent view) to correct a current view of the object. The multi-neighbor correction may use one or more correction factors to determine how much data from the other two views to use to correct the current view. The correction factor(s) are determined based upon a calibration that utilizes image space data and/or projection space data of a phantom. In this way, the correction factor(s) account for source leakage that occurs in multi energy scanners.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for generating high resolution CT images. The NSR# method improves on the AMPR method, by increasing the in-plane image resolution of CT scanners, in the helical scanning mode. The provided method uses the quarter detector offset and interleaving of complementary data to achieve in plane image resolution that is similar to the high resolution axial scanning mode utilizing quarter detector offset and interleaving. The method includes several ways of choosing the data to be interleaved, like NSR# with two planes, NSR# with 3 planes, NSR# with multiple planes. The interleaved data are used to create high resolution tilted slices. The NSR# method optimizes the untilting filter to create a mix of high and low resolution tilted slices to achieve the desired in-plane image resolution-image artifact balance required for the imaging task. In one embodiment in the untilting process one may use only high resolution tilted slices, for maximum resolution benefit.

Abstract: One or more techniques and/or systems for compressing signals yielded from a CT examination are provided. The signals are encoded, or remapped, into a format in which the photon noise of the signals are substantially constant over a dynamic range while the signals are in a projection space domain. That is, the signals are encoded into a format in which the standard deviation of the photon noise does not change based upon the number of photons detected. Once remapped into such a format, the noise entropy of the signals may be set to a predetermined level (e.g., a minimum value that preserves the information in the signals). The signals may then be compressed using a compression technique. In one embodiment, the compression can reduce the amount of data comprised within the signals by a factor of 2.5 or more relative to an analog, linear formatted, signal that was generated by a pixel of the detector array.

Abstract: A source of X-rays including at least two cathodes and at least one common anode configured and arranged so as to generate at least two spaced apart beams of X-rays emanating from respectively different locations of the anode, and separately controlled so as to be generated independently of one another. The staggered focal spots can be generated simultaneously or alternately as required. An X-ray imaging system comprising such an X-rays source, and a method utilizing such a source are also disclosed.

Abstract: The techniques described herein provide for correcting projection data that comprises contamination due to source switching in a multi energy scanner. The correction is a multi-neighbor correction. That is, it uses data from at least two other views of an object (e.g., generally a previous view and a subsequent view) to correct a current view of the object. The multi-neighbor correction may use one or more correction factors to determine how much data from the other two views to use to correct the current view. The correction factor(s) are determined based upon a calibration that utilizes image space data and/or projection space data of a phantom. In this way, the correction factor(s) account for source leakage that occurs in multi energy scanners.

Abstract: A source of X-rays including at least two cathodes and at least one common anode configured and arranged so as to generate at least two spaced apart beams of X-rays emanating from respectively different locations of the anode, and separately controlled so as to be generated independently of one another. The staggered focal spots can be generated simultaneously or alternately as required. An X-ray imaging system comprising such an X-rays source, and a method utilizing such a source are also disclosed.

Abstract: The disclosed CT scanner comprises at least one source of X-rays; a detector array comprising a plurality of detectors; and an X-ray filter mask arrangement disposed between the source of X-rays and detector array so as to modify the spectra of the X-rays transmitted from the source through the mask to at least some of the detectors so that the X-ray spectra detected by at least one set of detectors is different from the X-ray spectra detected by at least one other set of detectors.

Abstract: The disclosed CT scanner comprises at least one source of X-rays; a detector array comprising a plurality of detectors; and an X-ray filter mask arrangement disposed between the source of X-rays and detector array so as to modify the spectra of the X-rays transmitted from the source through the mask to at least some of the detectors so that the X-ray spectra detected by at least one set of detectors is different from the X-ray spectra detected by at least one other set of detectors.