Patents by Inventor Jean-François PRATTE

Jean-François PRATTE has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20240152097
    Abstract: Time-to-digital converter (TDC) using multiple Vernier in a cascaded architecture reduces the timing jitter by decreasing the number of the ring oscillator cycles during the measurement processes. Time-to-digital converter (TDC) measurements using a third oscillator for the second Vernier process has significant advantages compared to changing the period of the second oscillator during the measurement cycle. The Vernier architecture described herein may operate with faster oscillators, reducing the number of intervals before converging and leading to a lower time conversion and a better timing jitter. Adding multiple cascaded Vernier interpolation may further improve the TDC measurement resolution while having only a small increment of time required to resolve the time interval calculations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2023
    Publication date: May 9, 2024
    Inventors: Frédéric NOLET, Nicolas ROY, Jean-François PRATTE, Frederik DUBOIS
  • Publication number: 20240113147
    Abstract: This disclosure pertains to a new thinned down frontside illuminated 3D SiPM architecture, e.g. a Photon-to-Digital Converter, with direct interconnect layers between the SPAD and the CMOS. The described architecture removes the need to have through-silicon-vias. Additionally, this new architecture also provides low jitter operation of the SPADs. The architecture described herein, with extended isolation trenches through the entire thickness of the thinned down SPAD substrate, enables both the SPAD cell to be electrically and optically isolated from the other SPAD cells. As such, the crosstalk is minimized and direct backside connection is possible.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2023
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Inventors: Jean-François PRATTE, Samuel PARENT, Serge CHARLEBOIS, Henri DAUTET
  • Patent number: 11782393
    Abstract: Time-to-digital converter (TDC) using multiple Vernier in a cascaded architecture reduces the timing jitter by decreasing the number of the ring oscillator cycles during the measurement processes. Time-to-digital converter (TDC) measurements using a third oscillator for the second Vernier process has significant advantages compared to changing the period of the second oscillator during the measurement cycle. The Vernier architecture described herein may operate with faster oscillators, reducing the number of intervals before converging and leading to a lower time conversion and a better timing jitter Adding multiple cascaded Vernier interpolation may further improve the TDC measurement resolution while having only a small increment of time required to resolve the time interval calculations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Inventors: Frédéric Nolet, Nicolas Roy, Jean-François Pratte, Frederik Dubois
  • Publication number: 20230185250
    Abstract: Time-to-digital converter (TDC) using multiple Vernier in a cascaded architecture reduces the timing jitter by decreasing the number of the ring oscillator cycles during the measurement processes. Time-to-digital converter (TDC) measurements using a third oscillator for the second Vernier process has significant advantages compared to changing the period of the second oscillator during the measurement cycle. The Vernier architecture described herein may operate with faster oscillators, reducing the number of intervals before converging and leading to a lower time conversion and a better timing jitter Adding multiple cascaded Vernier interpolation may further improve the TDC measurement resolution while having only a small increment of time required to resolve the time interval calculations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2021
    Publication date: June 15, 2023
    Inventors: Frédéric NOLET, Nicolas ROY, Jean-François PRATTE, Frederik DUBOIS
  • Patent number: 7286867
    Abstract: A combined PET/MRI scanner generally includes a magnet for producing a magnetic field suitable for magnetic resonance imaging, a radiofrequency (RF) coil disposed within the magnetic field produced by the magnet and a ring tomograph disposed within the magnetic field produced by the magnet. The ring tomograph includes a scintillator layer for outputting at least one photon in response to an annihilation event, a detection array coupled to the scintillator layer for detecting the at least one photon outputted by the scintillator layer and for outputting a detection signal in response to the detected photon and a front-end electronic array coupled to the detection array for receiving the detection signal, wherein the front-end array has a preamplifier and a shaper network for conditioning the detection signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2007
    Assignee: Brookhaven Science Associates, LLC
    Inventors: David Schlyer, Craig L. Woody, William Rooney, Paul Vaska, Sean Stoll, Jean-Francois Pratte, Paul O'Connor
  • Patent number: 7126126
    Abstract: A method of serially transferring annihilation information in a compact positron emission tomography (PET) scanner includes generating a time signal for an event, generating an address signal representing a detecting channel, generating a detector channel signal including the time and address signals, and generating a composite signal including the channel signal and similarly generated signals. The composite signal includes events from detectors in a block and is serially output. An apparatus that serially transfers annihilation information from a block includes time signal generators for detectors in a block and an address and channel signal generator. The PET scanner includes a ring tomograph that mounts onto a portion of an animal, which includes opposing block pairs. Each of the blocks in a block pair includes a scintillator layer, detection array, front-end array, and a serial encoder. The serial encoder includes time signal generators and an address signal and channel signal generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2006
    Assignee: Brookhaven Science Associates, LLC
    Inventors: David J. Schyler, Paul O'Connor, Craig Woody, Sachin Shrirang Junnarkar, Veljko Radeka, Paul Vaska, Jean-Francois Pratte, Nora Volkow
  • Patent number: 7091489
    Abstract: A method of serially transferring annihilation information in a compact positron emission tomography (PET) scanner includes generating a time signal representing a time-of-occurrence of an annihilation event, generating an address signal representing a channel detecting the annihilation event, and generating a channel signal including the time and address signals. The method also includes generating a composite signal including the channel signal and another similarly generated channel signal concerning another annihilation event. An apparatus that serially transfers annihilation information includes a time signal generator, address signal generator, channel signal generator, and composite signal generator. The time signal is asynchronous and the address signal is synchronous to a clock signal. A PET scanner includes a scintillation array, detection array, front-end array, and a serial encoder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Assignee: Brookhaven Science Associates, LLC
    Inventors: David J. Schlyer, Paul O'Connor, Craig Woody, Sachin Shrirang Junnarkar, Veljko Radeka, Paul Vaska, Jean-Francois Pratte
  • Publication number: 20050167599
    Abstract: A method of serially transferring annihilation information in a compact positron emission tomography (PET) scanner includes generating a time signal representing a time-of-occurrence of an annihilation event, generating an address signal representing a channel detecting the annihilation event, and generating a channel signal including the time and address signals. The method also includes generating a composite signal including the channel signal and another similarly generated channel signal concerning another annihilation event. An apparatus that serially transfers annihilation information includes a time signal generator, address signal generator, channel signal generator, and composite signal generator. The time signal is asynchronous and the address signal is synchronous to a clock signal. A PET scanner includes a scintillation array, detection array, front-end array, and a serial encoder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2003
    Publication date: August 4, 2005
    Inventors: David Schlyer, Paul O'Connor, Craig Woody, Sachin Junnarkar, Veljko Radeka, Paul Vaska, Jean-Francois Pratte
  • Publication number: 20050113667
    Abstract: A combined PET/MRI scanner generally includes a magnet for producing a magnetic field suitable for magnetic resonance imaging, a radiofrequency (RF) coil disposed within the magnetic field produced by the magnet and a ring tomograph disposed within the magnetic field produced by the magnet. The ring tomograph includes a scintillator layer for outputting at least one photon in response to an annihilation event, a detection array coupled to the scintillator layer for detecting the at least one photon outputted by the scintillator layer and for outputting a detection signal in response to the detected photon and a front-end electronic array coupled to the detection array for receiving the detection signal, wherein the front-end array has a preamplifier and a shaper network for conditioning the detection signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2004
    Publication date: May 26, 2005
    Inventors: David Schlyer, Craig Woody, William Rooney, Paul Vaska, Sean Stoll, Jean-Francois Pratte, Paul O'Connor
  • Publication number: 20050082486
    Abstract: A method of serially transferring annihilation information in a compact positron emission tomography (PET) scanner includes generating a time signal for an event, generating an address signal representing a detecting channel, generating a detector channel signal including the time and address signals, and generating a composite signal including the channel signal and similarly generated signals. The composite signal includes events from detectors in a block and is serially output. An apparatus that serially transfers annihilation information from a block includes time signal generators for detectors in a block and an address and channel signal generator. The PET scanner includes a ring tomograph that mounts onto a portion of an animal, which includes opposing block pairs. Each of the blocks in a block pair includes a scintillator layer, detection array, front-end array, and a serial encoder. The serial encoder includes time signal generators and an address signal and channel signal generator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2003
    Publication date: April 21, 2005
    Inventors: David Schlyer, Paul O'Connor, Craig Woody, Sachin Junnarkar, Veljko Radeka, Paul Vaska, Jean-Francois Pratte, Nora Volkow