Abstract: A roller truck for supporting a rotating drum of a CT scanner, including a spring plate having opposing ends, top and bottom surfaces and unconstrained side edges. At least two axles are secured to the spring plate, and an attachment member is secured to the spring plate between the two axles. The attachment member is for securing the roller truck to one of a support frame of the CT scanner and the drum mounted for rotation on the frame. Rollers are rotatably mounted on each axle of the truck for supporting and allowing the instrument drum to rotate. The spring plate is free to resiliently bend about the attachment member and is adapted such that, when the instrument drum is rotated, resulting vibration frequencies are shifted by the roller truck to minimize distortions in images produced by the CT scanner.

Abstract: A roller truck for supporting a rotating drum of a CT scanner, including a spring plate having opposing ends, top and bottom surfaces and unconstrained side edges. At least two axles are secured to the spring plate, and an attachment member is secured to the spring plate between the two axles. The attachment member is for securing the roller truck to one of a support frame of the CT scanner and the drum mounted for rotation on the frame. Rollers are rotatably mounted on each axle of the truck for supporting and allowing the instrument drum to rotate. The spring plate is free to resiliently bend about the attachment member and is adapted such that, when the instrument drum is rotated, resulting vibration frequencies are shifted by the roller truck to minimize distortions in images produced by the CT scanner.

Abstract: An x-ray detector system for a computed tomography (CT) scanner includes a plurality of x-ray scintillating crystals disposed in an array. A highly dense, light-reflective, x-ray absorbent medium is disposed in the spaces between adjacent crystals. In a preferred embodiment, the medium comprises a mixture of tantalum pentoxide and an optically transparent epoxy.

Abstract: An integrated, self-aligning x-ray detector assembly for a computed x-ray tomography system includes an alignment grid for aligning an array of scintillator crystals with a corresponding array of photodiodes. The grid includes extensions which engage with a plurality of anti-scatter plates so that the anti-scatter plates and the scintillator crystals are in a predetermined alignment.

Abstract: A two-dimensional area detector array for a CT scanning system includes a set of alignment grids for aligning individual scintillator crystals with corresponding photodiodes and for preventing optical and electrical interference between adjacent photodiodes. The alignment grids thus facilitate efficient transfer of information from the scintillation crystals to the photodiodes and also permit the detector array to be constructed with many very small, very closely spaced individual detector elements. The alignment grids are preferably made of a substantially opaque material having a relatively low coefficient of thermal expansion. They provide a highly beneficial dimensional stability to the detector array under the typical operating conditions of the CT scanner.

Abstract: An integrated radiation detecting and collimating assembly for an x-ray tomography scanning system. The assembly includes a housing which mounts to a spine of the system and aligns corresponding arrays of photodiodes, scintillator crystals and anti-scatter plates with one another and with x-ray beams arriving directly at the detectors from the focal spot. The arrays of photodiodes, crystals and anti-scatter plates are thus all fixed relative to one another within the housing, which is itself securely fixed to the frame of the scanner system.