Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.V.

Sharp Corporation

U.S. Philips Corporation

Other

Philips Electronics North America Corporation

Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.v.

Philips Intellectual Property & Standards Gmbh

Christoph Herrmann

Roger Steadman Booker

Christian Baeumer

Yonggang Du

Guenter Zeitler

Klaus Juergen Engel

Walter Ruetten

Roger Steadman

Oliver Muelhens

Rainer Kiewitt

Matthias Simon

Peter May

Roland Proksa

Ewald Roessl

Heiner Daerr

Bernd Menser

Klaus Peter May

Klaus Jurgen Engel

Samir N Hulyalkar

Michael Overdick

Rainer Pietig

Amir Livne

Chiu Yeung Ngo

Josef Wasel

Klaus Jürgen Engel

Patrick Nickel

Timothy J Moulsley

Matthew P J Baker

Gereon Vogtmeier

Paul Bucknell

Joerg Bredno

Johannes Wilhelmus Weekamp

Thomas Frach

Bernhard Johannes Brendel

Randall Peter Luhta

Torsten Solf

Axel Thran

Ira Micah Blevis

Klaus Erhard

Christoph Loef

Jens Wiegert

Kai Eck

Norbert Conrads

Frank Bergner

Frank Verbakel

Nicolaas Johannes Anthonius Van Veen

Carolina Ribbing

Helko Lehmann

Gordian Prescher

Jacques Jules Van Oekel

Georg Rose

Walter Rütten

Olivier J-m Hus

Ewald Rössl

Olivier Ecabert

Olaf Wischhusen

Astrid Lewalter

Jakob W Mulder

Artur Sossin

Cornelis Slob

Rob Van Asselt

Yoad Yagil

Steffen Gunther Hohmann

Hans Krüger

Disclosed herein is a radiological instrument () comprising at least one pulse shaper circuit () configured for a direct conversion radiation detector (). The at least one pulse shaper circuit comprises an amplifier (). The pulse shaper further comprises a feedback circuit () connected in parallel with the amplifier; a first switching unit () connected in series with the feedback circuit; a second switching unit () connected in parallel with the amplifier; a discriminator circuit () that provides a discriminator signal () when the output exceeds a controllable signal threshold; and a control unit () for controlling the first switching unit and the second switching unit, wherein the control unit controls the second switching unit such that a substantial part of the signal is integrated, when the second switching unit is closed.

Radiological instrument with a pulse shaper circuit

The present invention relates to photon counting. In particular, a photon-counting data acquisition module is provided. The photon-counting data acquisition module comprises a signal input unit and one or more data acquisition channels, each channel adapted for converting at least one train of pulses received from the signal input unit to a counter signal. Each data acquisition channel comprises a pulse maximum identifier and a discriminator/counter pair comprising a discriminator and a counter. The pulse maximum identifier is configured to identify a maximum of a pulse in the at least one received train of pulses. The discriminator is configured to be triggered, by a detection of a maximum of a pulse in the at least one received train of pulses, to compare the pulse with at least one signal threshold to generate the counter signal. Alternatively, the counter is configured to be enabled in response to a detection of a maximum of a pulse to generate the counter signal.

Charge sharing compensation with sampled discriminators

A radiation detector () adapted for detecting leakage currents is disclosed and comprises a direct conversion material () for converting incident radiation, at least one first electrode () and a plurality of second electrodes () connected to surfaces of the direct conversion material () for collecting each generated charges upon application of an electric field, at least one current measurement device (), and a plurality of signal processing chains (). Each signal processing chain comprises a readout unit () for discriminating between energy values with respect to the incident radiation, and a switching element () for sending signals on a first signal path () electrically connecting one of the plurality of second electrodes with the readout unit, or on a second signal path electrically connecting the one of the plurality of second electrodes with an input to one of the at least one current measurement devices. A plurality of switching elements is configured to send signals on the second signal path for measuring a leakage current received at a corresponding plurality of second electrodes of the detector in the absence of incident radiation.

Photon counting spectral CT

A detector includes a first detection layer () and a second detector layer (). The first and second detection layers include a first and second scintillator () (), a first and second active photosensing region () (), a first portion () of a first substrate (), and a second portion () of a second substrate (). An imaging system () includes a radiation source (), a radiation sensitive detector array () comprising a plurality of multi-layer detectors (), and a reconstructor () configured to reconstruct an output of the detector array and produces an image. The detector array includes a first detection layer and a second detector layer with a first and second scintillator, a first and second active photosensing region, a first portion of a first substrate, and a second portion of a second substrate.

Multi-layer radiation detector

The invention relates to a radiation detector (), an imaging system and a related method for radiation detection. The detector comprises a direct conversion material () for converting x-ray and/or gamma radiation into electron-hole pairs by direct photon-matter interaction. The detector comprises an anode () and a cathode () arranged on opposite sides of the direct conversion material () such that the electrons and holes can respectively be collected by the anode and cathode. The cathode is substantially transparent to infrared radiation. The detector comprises a light guide layer () on the cathode at a side of the cathode that is opposite of the direct conversion material, in which the light guide layer is adapted for distributing infrared radiation over the direct conversion material. The detector comprises a reflector layer () arranged on the light guide layer () at a side opposite of the cathode, in which the reflector layer is adapted for substantially reflecting infrared radiation. The detector comprises at least one light emitter (), abutting on and/or integrated in the light guide layer (), for emitting infrared radiation into the light guide layer.

Direct conversion radiation detection

A detector signal is corrected by superimposing the detector signal with a correction signal. For providing a valid correction signal, a sampling pulse is periodically or randomly provided. The sampling pulse serves as the initiator for sampling a process signal. During the sampling, the process signal is observed. In case a pulse at the process signal is detected, the sampling is assumed as not being suitable to correct the detector signal, since the pulse affects the process signal. Otherwise, the process signal is further observed during a validation period to validate whether the sampled process value of the process signal has already been influenced by an upcoming pulse at the process signal. In case the sampling is assumed as valid, the sampled process value is used as a basis for providing the correction signal.

Processing of a corrected X-ray detector signal

The invention relates to a pulse shaper (). The pulse shaper () comprises an integrator () for generating a pulse having a peak amplitude indicative of the energy of a detected photon, a feedback resistor (), switchable discharge circuitry () for discharging the integrator (), and a peak detector () for detecting the peak of the pulse. The pulse shaper is adapted to start the discharge of the integrator by the switchable discharge circuitry based on the detection of the peak and to connect the feedback resistor in parallel to the integrator during a period of the pulse generation and to disconnect the feedback resistor during another period of the pulse generation. The pulse shaper can be such that the generation of the pulse is substantially unhindered by any noticeable concurrent discharging mechanism while, at the same time, the occurrence of energy pedestals can be efficiently avoided.

Pulse shaper

An image signal processing system (ISP) comprising an input interface (IN) for receiving photon counting projection data acquired by an X-ray imaging apparatus (IA) having a photon counting detector (D). A calibration data memory (CMEM) of the system holds calibration data. The calibration data encodes photon counting data versus path lengths curves for different energy thresholds of i) said detector (D) or ii) of a different detector. At least one of said curves is not one-to-one. A path length convertor (PLC) of the system converts an entry in said photon counting projection data into an associated path length based on said calibration data.

Photon-counting computed tomography

The present invention relates to a detector module comprising a direct conversion crystal () for converting incident photons into electrical signals, said direct conversion crystal having a cathode metallization () deposited on a first surface and an anode metallization () deposited on a second surface, an integrated circuit () in electrical communication with said direct conversion crystal, said integrated circuit having a smaller width than said direct conversion crystal thus forming a recess () in width direction at a side surface of the integrated circuit, an interposer () arranged between said direct conversion crystal and said integrated circuit for providing electrical communication there between, wherein said interposer is made as separate element that is glued, soldered or bonded with the anode metallization () of said direct conversion crystal facing said integrated circuit, and a multi-lead flex cable () providing a plurality of output paths, said multi-lead flex cable having a first portion (Id) connected with one surface to said direct conversion crystal and with the opposite surface to said integrated circuit () and a second portion (), which is bent with respect to the first portion and is arranged in said recess.

Detector module, detector, imaging apparatus and method of manufacturing a detector module

An imaging system () includes a detector module (). The detector module includes a block () of a plurality of direct conversion photon counting detector pixels () and corresponding electronics (or) with hardware for both high energy resolution imaging mode and high X-ray flux imaging mode connected with the block of the plurality of direct conversion photon counting detector pixels. A method includes identifying a scanning mode for a selected imaging protocol, wherein the scanning modes includes one of a higher energy resolution mode and a higher X-ray flux mode, configuring a detector module, which is configurable for both the higher energy resolution mode and the higher X-ray flux mode, based on the identified scanning mode, performing the scan with the detector module configured for the mode of the selected imaging protocol, and processing scan data from the scan, generating volumetric image data.

High energy resolution/high x-ray flux photon counting detector

A discriminator () includes a set of comparators (), a window width generator (), and a set of reference signal generators (). In response to the discriminator being in a window based spectrum measurement mode, a first reference signal generator for a first comparator generates a reference signal that is supplied to the first comparator and that is added with the window width with a result of the addition supplied to the second comparator. The first comparator compares a peak height of a pulse indicative of an energy of detected radiation with the supplied reference signal and produces a first output indicating which of the peak height or the reference signal is greater. The second comparator compares the peak height with the supplied result of the addition and produces a second output indicating which of the peak height or the result of the addition is greater.

Window-based spectrum measurement in a spectral CT detector

The invention relates to an x-ray device () for imaging an object (). A radiation detector () of the x-ray device includes detector elements () for detecting radiation, each detector element () comprising an adjustable sensitive volume, where an x-ray photon entering the sensitive volume produces an electric signal used for generating the image data. Further, the device comprises a control unit () configured to control the sensitive volume of at least one of the detector elements () in accordance with a geometric structure of the object () to be imaged in order to reduce a pile-up effect in the detector element. Moreover, the invention relates to a method for operating the device () and to a computer program for carrying out the method.

X-ray device with reduced pile-up

A radiation detector () having a first detector layer () and a second detector layer () encircles an examination region (). Detectors of the first layer include scintillators () and light detectors (), such as avalanche photodiodes. The detectors of the second detector layer () include scintillators () and optical detectors (). The scintillators () of the first layer have a smaller cross-section than the scintillators () of the second layers. A group, e.g., nine, of the first layer scintillators () overlay each second group scintillator (). In a CT mode, detectors of the first layer detect transmission radiation to generate a CT image with a relatively high resolution and the detectors of the second layer detect PET or SPECT radiation to generate nuclear data for reconstruction into a lower resolution emission image. Because the detectors of the first and second layers are aligned, the transmission and emission images are inherently aligned.

PET-CT system with single detector

Data transmission in a multicast fashion in which retransmissions are requested by recipients sending feedback to the one sender. Receiving stations are informed about the feedback of another receiving station. This is done by mirroring the feedback of receiving stations to other receiving stations. Due to this, in case, for example, one of the mirrored feedbacks is a negative acknowledgement message, the other receiving stations are informed that it is no longer necessary to provide their feedback, since a retransmission will be initiated anyway. Advantageously, this may allow reduced interference in the direction of the feedback

Feedback signaling for multicast data transmission

A wireless network with at least one base station and a plurality of associated terminals for the exchange of payload data and control data and at least one common transmission channel which is available for access to several terminals is described. The base station is configured to control access to the common transmission channel and the terminals are configured to send at least an access signal to the base station for the purpose of obtaining access to the common transmission channel. Different start moments and different preambles can be assigned to the terminals for transmitting their respective access signals.

Network with common transmission channels

Growing community of inventors

Aachen, Germany

Christoph Herrmann