Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.v.

Philips Intellectual Property & Standards Gmbh

Klaus Fiedler

Thomas Frach

Walter Ruetten

Jens Wiegert

Andreas Thon

Gerd Muehllehner

Michael J Geagan

Jacobus A J M Deckers

Sjaak Deckers

A radiation detector includes an array of detector pixels each including an array of detector cells. Each detector cell includes a photodiode biased in a breakdown region and digital circuitry coupled with the photodiode and configured to output a first digital value in a quiescent state and a second digital value responsive to photon detection by the photodiode. Digital triggering circuitry is configured to output a trigger signal indicative of a start of an integration time period responsive to a selected number of one or more of the detector cells transitioning from the first digital value to the second digital value. Readout digital circuitry accumulates a count of a number of transitions of detector cells of the array of detector cells from the first digital state to the second digital state over the integration time period.

Digital silicon photomultiplier for TOF-PET

A time-of-flight PET nuclear imaging device (A) includes radiation detectors (), electronic circuits () for processing output signals from each of detectors (), a coincidence detector (), a time-of-flight calculator () and image processing circuitry (). A calibration system () includes an energy source () which generates an electrical or optical calibration pulse. The electrical calibration pulse is applied at an input to the electronics at an output of the detector and the optical calibration pulse is applied to a preselected point adjacent a face of each optical sensor () of the detectors. A calibration processor () measures the time differences between the generation of the calibration pulse and the receipt of a trigger signal from the electronic circuitry by the coincidence detector () and adjusts adjustable delay circuits () to minimize these time differences.

Timing calibration for TOF-PET scanner

A radiation detector includes an array of detector pixels each including an array of detector cells. Each detector cell includes a photodiode biased in a breakdown region and digital circuitry coupled with the photodiode and configured to output a first digital value in a quiescent state and a second digital value responsive to photon detection by the photodiode. Digital triggering circuitry is configured to output a trigger signal indicative of a start of an integration time period responsive to a selected number of one or more of the detector cells tranisitioning from the first digital value to the second digital value. Readout digital circuitry accumulates a count of a number of transitions of detector cells of the array of detector cells from the first digital state to the second digital state over the integration time period.

In a combined scanner, a main magnet () and magnetic field gradient coils () housed in or on a scanner housing () acquires spatially encoded magnetic resonances in an imaging region (). Solid state radiation detectors (&#x2033;) disposed in or on the scanner housing are arranged to detect gamma rays emitted from the imaging region. Time-of-flight positron emission tomography (TOF-PET) processing () determines localized lines of response based on (i) locations of substantially simultaneous gamma ray detections output by the radiation detectors and (ii) a time interval between said substantially simultaneous gamma ray detections. TOF-PET reconstruction processing () reconstructs the localized lines of response to produce a TOF-PET image. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) reconstruction processing () reconstructs the acquired magnetic resonances to produce an MRI image.

PET/MR scanner with time-of-flight capability

Method of generating an image of an object by means of an imaging system which has a radiation source that rotates relative to the object about an axis of rotation within a defined rotation angle range, said radiation source projecting radiation onto a radiation detector in order to record projection data, wherein at predefinable relative rotation angle positions of the radiation source a signal projection data is generated, and also apparatus for carrying out this method.

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Aachen, Germany

Klaus Fiedler